Smuggler of Shadows Book 4: Rescue
by Kadirika7211
Summary: Set between Episodes 3&4. Mandalorian pilot Kadira Sal has spent the last few months smuggling wanted beings out of the Empire's grasp. Kidnapped and separated from her team by a man with a vendetta, Kadira must discover the ties that bind her captor and the man who drew her into the world of snatching targets from the Empire, all before time runs out. Rated T for some violence.
1. Prologue

_A/N: Just as a note, this is the fourth story in a series of fanfics. I'd __highly__ recommend reading the first, second, and third fics first, as this one will contain spoilers for the previous ones._

_Disclaimer- I own nothing Star Wars. It all belongs to George Lucas, etc. All I own are the characters I've created and the plotline I've come up with :)_

* * *

Fog covered the Imperial controlled city like a curtain, causing both civilians and Imperials to seek shelter inside their homes or barracks. The air was thick and cold, but it seemed to have no effect on the red and gold armored Mandalorian perched on one of the city's rooftops. He had an almost perfect view of the Imperial's central command complex, as well as the surrounding streets thanks to the systems embedded in his helmet.

Laniff Dreysel smiled grimly, taking in the fog with satisfaction. He had been waiting for an opportunity just like this, when the Empire's troops were content to abandon their patrols for the day in favor of a hot cup of caf and a warm barracks. The advanced head's up display embedded in his helmet, commonly called a HUD, informed him that the temperature was steadily dropping and that the streets were practically empty.

He placed one hand to the side of his helmet, activating his comlink to get in contact with Ran Scorlo. Laniff wouldn't exactly call the man his boss, but the word was close. After all, he was the one who always chose the missions and the jobs. He was in charge, and Laniff was usually glad to follow and obey orders with the occasional wisecrack thrown in just for good measure. But for now, the normal order of things had been suspended. At the moment they were simply a team trying to save a mutual friend. Kadira Sal, a crack pilot, smuggler, and fellow Mandalorian had been kidnapped by a clone who went by the name of Jett. Jett had demanded that Ran and Laniff help rescue some of his squad buddies in exchange for Kadira's freedom. Which was why Laniff was now out in the middle of a foggy city planning an op to recover a much needed ship from the Empire, instead of enjoying his own cup of caf somewhere. He was _definitely_ going to have to talk to Kadira about avoiding kidnappings in the future.

"Ran? Streets are clear. Looks like our buddies decided it was too cold for them."

_::Can't say I blame them. Streets are clear on this side too. We'd better get moving before an officer decides to send the patrols out.::_ Ran replied calmly.

"Please don't jinx it, Scorlo. Our luck is bad enough already," Laniff grumbled, making his way down from the rooftop. The fog did little to disguise the chipped red and gold paint of his armor or the sinister T-visor helmet that marked him as Mandalorian, causing the few beings in the street to scatter as soon as they caught sight of him. Laniff watched them go, shrugging nonchalantly. Their obvious nervousness didn't bother him in the slightest. It just meant there would be fewer people to get in the way if things went south. Not that he'd ever shoot down a civvie if he could help it, but the Imperials probably wouldn't be so careful. Laniff already had enough regrets to deal with without adding that to the list.

_::Are you coming, Laniff?::_ Ran asked impatiently, causing Laniff to sigh in exaggerated irritation, knowing full well that Ran would pick up the sound over the comm. It was truly amazing how impatient the man could be.

"I'm coming, your highness," Laniff replied. "Please be so kind as to remember the fact that I had twice as far to come, cityboy."

_::And you traveled half of it across rooftops, instead of winding streets. I'd say we're even.::_

Laniff rolled his eyes. He had been wondering what had happened to the grouchy Ran he'd first met when he'd joined Kadira on this job. It looked like he was back in full force.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Give me five seconds and I'll reach the entry point. Try not to trip over anything when we go in, cause I'm apparently too slow to get there in time to help you out."

_::Quit talking and get ready for a silent entry,::_ Ran replied shortly_. ::This is the only shot we get.::_

Laniff grunted in response, knowing Ran was right. If they wanted any chance at keeping Kadira alive then they'd have to pull this op off perfectly. Hopefully their consistent bad luck had decided to take a day off for once.

* * *

"Jett, try not to break my pistol, you _chakaar_," Kadira complained, watching as the clone fiddled with her modified scout pistol. He'd already taken it apart twice, and she was beginning to wonder if he planned to put it back together this time. "I'm going to want that back in one piece, you know."

"Doesn't seem too safe, having a pressure pad instead of a trigger. It seems like a good way to shoot yourself in the foot, actually," Jett observed calmly, ignoring her obvious ire. He was infuriating that way, and she could have sworn he did it on purpose.

"It's because of the armor," she explained through gritted teeth. "It's a lot easier to shoot fast if you're not worried about your glove being too thick to fit in the trigger guard."

Jett snorted softly. "Since when do you have to worry about shooting fast, _Kad'ika_? You have that fancy armor to take whatever anyone decides to throw at you. All you have to do is hunker down and let that Mandalorian iron take the impact, unlike us clones. We just get shiny white plastoid. Which can't take a direct blaster bolt by the way, in case you were curious. I hear _your_ armor can."

"I thought I told you not to call me _Kad'ika_," Kadira complained, closing her eyes briefly. "And having _beskar'gam_ doesn't mean that getting shot doesn't fierfeking hurt, _di'kut_." She knew she should probably have ignored the bitter jibe, but she just wasn't in the mood to let it slide.

It wasn't her fault the Empire couldn't be bothered to find better armor for their soldiers, and she was tired of being blamed for the Empire's attitude towards clones.

"Believe me, not something I recommend trying. And as for why I would need to shoot fast, I'm a smuggler, you idiot. Everybody wants to shoot a smuggler and either confiscate their cargo or steal it for themselves. Occupational hazard. Add to that a few personal enemies, an Imperial Agent with a vendetta and an assortment of less than safe bounties and you basically have a small army that would love to see my head on a plate...Besides, every type of armor has a weak point, even _beskar'gam_. You should know, you're the one who shot me with a dart while I was wearing my armor. It's like they say, the best defense is an excellent offense. So don't you dare break my blaster."

Jett was silent for a moment, obviously distracted.

"Why do you hate Spike so much?" he asked finally, taking her off guard with the abrupt change in subject. "To tell the truth, he doesn't seem very fond of you either."

Kadira laughed slightly, leaning her head back against the durasteel bars of her cell. "That's an understatement. You sure you want to ask me? Spike probably has a different view of it."

"Spike isn't the talkative type."

"Unless he's trying to talk you into something," Kadira responded, a hint of bitterness leaking into her voice. She saw Jett glance up curiously, obviously picking up on her tone. She sighed softly, resigned. Jett wouldn't quit asking until she told him. "He was an adviser in the Empire at the same time I was serving as a scout. He's the one who got the orders, planned the op, and sent out the scouts and soldiers. I did as I was told, thinking I was doing the right thing. You know, serving the Empire, bringing glory to the Emperor, helping bring civilization to the galaxy."

She trailed off and Jett looked up again, studying her face.

"What happened?" he asked softly.

Kadira shrugged, looking at the clone. "I was stupid. I let myself be charmed by Spike and his compliments. We started going out when I wasn't on missions and he wasn't off advising some other squad. Then about six months after we started dating, Spike assigned me to a mission. It wasn't an unusual one, just a run to some backwater planet. Spike told me I was resupplying a garrison on the outer rim. I didn't normally transport troops, but I trusted him… When I landed and the troops got off the ship, I found out I'd been wrong. Spike had told me what I needed to hear in order to transport those troopers. Their real mission was to wipe out the planet's inhabitants. Official orders later said that the civilians were guilty of rebellion, even harboring Jedi. But they were just farmers who disagreed with their _di'kut_ of a governor. There were no Jedi and no rebels on that planet. But it didn't matter. Some of the scouts tried to stop it, and I was one of them. The troopers opened fire on us as well, under orders from Spike to take out anyone who protested. I ended up firing back, shooting down the very men I had brought to that planet... I'm not proud of it, but it's all I could think to do. There was no reasoning with them, no stopping them. Some of the scouts who got involved tried to talk them down, but the troopers simply shot them and kept going. Spike comm'd me and told me to back off and let it go, that there was nothing I could do to stop it."

"But you didn't," Jett said.

"I didn't," Kadira confirmed. "I was too stubborn even then. I ended up with a cargo hold full of civilians I managed to grab before they were executed. I don't think even Spike knows about that. I was terrified, but I turned in my resignation and got the people I could off planet. I made multiple runs back to that world, but I didn't find many survivors. The troopers were very thorough."

"You could have been shot for treason," Jett said slowly. "And here I thought all the smuggling was just because you just liked to thumb your nose at society."

Kadira shrugged slightly. "That part's fun too," she said, struggling to lighten the mood. These weren't memories she liked to dwell on. Jett studied her for a moment before shaking his head slowly, looking troubled.

"Get some sleep, _Kad'ika_," he said finally, smiling slightly at her exasperated sigh. She could swear he called her that just to annoy her. "Spike wants to move safehouses again tomorrow."

"Again? ..._Shab_, does this mean you have to drug me?" she grumbled, already knowing the answer. "I just got over the last headache."

Jett winced apologetically. "Sorry. Spike's orders, not mine. He seems to think you might be tempted to try to escape. Now I wonder where he would get an idea like that?" he asked, some of his usual humor leaking back into his voice.

"I wouldn't know," Kadira answered, all innocence. "I'm as submissive as they come."

Jett simply snorted, apparently not deeming to respond.

* * *

Things never went according to plan. Laniff should have expected it by now, but he was an optimist by nature. Bad luck had to break eventually, or so he'd always thought. The entire galaxy seemed determined to prove him wrong lately.

The officers might be willing to let the troopers avoid patrolling the streets, but they had doubled the guard on the _Vanguard_. Apparently Laniff wasn't the only one who knew fog was the perfect cover for a strike mission. Normally it wouldn't be a problem, but with the troopers spread out as far as they were, there was little chance that they'd all be knocked out of play when Laniff activated the _Vanguard_'s special security feature. The ship would release a wave of electrical energy when given the correct codes, knocking out anything electrical or organic within a short range. Unfortunately even with the durasteel beams and pipes running around the hanger the troopers were still too far apart to guarantee that they'd all be incapacitated by the blast.

"Any brilliant ideas?" Laniff asked, knowing Ran was seeing the same dilemma.

_::Not even one,::_ Ran replied over the comm.

"_Shab_. I was hoping not to have to resort to a dumb one. Do you remember how to set off the system?"

_::Yes…::_ Ran replied, drawing out the word suspiciously. _::But I thought _you_ were going to set it off.::_

"I was. But I can't run and activate the systems at the same time. Well actually I can, but I'd hate to leave you out of the fun."

_::What _exactly_ are you going to be running from?::_ Ran asked slowly.

Laniff simply chuckled and rose to his feet. "Stormtroopers, of course. It makes fantastic sport I'm told. Sometimes you can even run them into a wall."

::_Laniff_-::

"You're the one who doesn't have an ingenious backup plan, cityboy. Now, pick me up once you get the _Vanguard_ out of here. Just make sure not to scratch Kadira's ship or she'll kill us both."

* * *

_A/N: Thoughts anyone? I'll try to keep updating as often as I can, but school has been crazy lately. (And yes, I'll keep begging for reviews. They really do make my day, honest.) There are some guest appearances coming up within the next few chapters, so stay tuned. :)_


	2. Chapter 1

He had forgotten his mission. Only for a few days, but still, that knowledge rankled. Ran had been fighting this battle for years now, his mind focused solely on the mission and nothing else. People came and went, some left and some died. But there had always been the mission. And now he was walking a very thin line between rescuing the people he needed and destroying the one goal he'd been living for. Three years ago he would have left Kadira and Laniff to fend for themselves after being captured by the Empire. They were _Mandalorian_, for stars' sake. If anyone knew how to break odds stacked heavily against them, it would be the _mando'ade_. They had taken on Jedi in the old times, after all, and their culture had lived on despite it. They were survivors, plain and simple, and Ran's focus was supposed to be on more than that. They were supposed to be expendable, as ugly as that seemed. All of them were, but the mission wasn't. Or so he'd thought until he'd come face to face with the decision.

He'd feel better if he wasn't still questioning his choice, if he was able to push forward without looking back doubtfully. At least then he would at least have the comfort of being consistent, of being sure. Instead he was left questioning if he'd made the right choice. His heart said yes, but his mind said otherwise, leaving him at war with himself.

The sound of fluent cursing in Mandalorian flooded the comm, pulling Ran back to the present moment. The distinct sound of blasterfire followed, causing Ran to frown. Apparently Laniff wasn't staying far enough ahead of the troopers for comfort.

_::Are you going to zap the troopers or not, Ran? I mean, take your time. Just whenever you feel ready, no pressure. It's not like I'm running for my life or anything.:: _Laniff's sarcastic voice came through the comm, followed by another round of blasterfire and a few choice _Mando'a_ words.

"What happened to it being a sport?"

_::Just shut up and activate the system, _di'kut_.::_

Ran smiled slightly and glanced down at the small datapad he carried in his hand. Hopefully Laniff had done the calculations correctly, else this would be a very short mission. Without the _Vanguard_ and her advanced systems, this whole mission would be a failure. They needed a ship to even start, and the _Vanguard_ was the only plausible solution. Stealing anything else would take too much time and be too easy to trace. Laniff already knew the _Vanguard_ like the back of his own hand, and Ran was fairly familiar with the ship by now as well. Not to mention the dressing down they would no doubt get from Kadira if they left her ship behind.

He took a deep breath and entered the code Laniff had given him, ducking back into cover to watch the results, expecting a few small arcs of electricity.

Instead, the entire hangar was lit by a sudden harsh light as arcs of electricity shot out from the ship, enveloping the entire hangar. Ran cursed and threw himself further away from the spectacle, knowing full well that a few feet wouldn't do him a lot of good if Laniff's calculations had indeed been off. The lightning - and that was all he could think to call it – arced from support beam to support beam, taking out power generators and overloading every light and electrical device in the hangar. Most of the stormtroopers were thrown to the ground, others knocked against walls or beams by the force of the electricity strikes. Most didn't get back up. Some of the troopers still standing began to open fire at the ship as if that might somehow help, while still others decided to make a run for the doors. Most of them were thrown to the ground before they could make it that far, either knocked out or dead, Ran couldn't tell. Sparks showered from the overloaded lights attached to the ceiling, starting a few small fires around the hangar. When the Vanguard's 'security system', as Laniff had called it, finally shut off, the hangar was left in complete darkness, with only the occasional shower of sparks to cast a brief light on the destruction.

Ran rose slowly to his feet, staring at the destruction in awe. If he had known Kadira had put _that_ on her ship, he probably would never have stepped within a mile of the thing. He couldn't even imagine what other surprises the _Vanguard_ had in store, and he wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

_::…It's very dark all of the sudden. Did it work?::_

"What do you fierfeking _think_, Laniff?" Ran snapped, shaken.

_::I'll take that as a yes, then. Can I come back now? ::_

"Hurry up," Ran replied tersely, starting towards the _Vanguard_. " There's no way that counts as even close to subtle."

_::Have you ever heard of a subtle Mando?::_ Laniff asked. _::It's just not in our nature. Let me get rid of these troopers and then I'll join you. Just make sure you enter the right code into the keypad or your hand will be numb for a week.::_

"Speaking from personal experience?"

_::…Possibly.::_

Ran hurried to punch in the correct code to the ship's keypad, all the while hoping Kadira hadn't changed it and forgotten to tell Laniff. The last thing he wanted was a personal display of the _Vanguard's_ other security systems. Lights were beginning to flicker back on in the hangar, no doubt powered by an emergency generator. The troopers' backup would be here soon as well, and he and Laniff needed to be long gone before that happened.

The ship's door hissed open without issue and Ran ducked inside quickly, immediately going to the control console to make sure all the ship's systems were still operational.

_::Any news on the _Vanguard's_ status? If it's bad, I want to start thinking of excuses to tell Kadira… such as this whole thing was your idea, not mine.::_

"She's operational," Ran replied, scanning the ship's diagnostic lights. Nothing was coming up as broken or even damaged, meaning Laniff had indeed calculated correctly. Not surprising, seeing as the man worked primarily with explosives. It wasn't a field that left much room for error.

_::Operational as in barely working, or operational as in it's in fantastic shape and the Imps even did some upgrades for free?::_

Laniff really was worried about Kadira's ship if he was asking multiple times.

"Operational as in get your _shebs_ over here before I leave without you," Ran replied dryly, beginning to flip switches to prepare the _Vanguard_ for takeoff. "You have two minutes."

_::Well look who's learning_ Mando'a,_::_ Laniff replied good naturedly. _::We'll make a full Mando out of you yet,_ aruetii._::_

"A minute and a half."

_::Alright, alright, I'm coming.::_

* * *

Alaida Dain knelt down in the debris of the warehouse that had been used as a safehouse only days before, looking around her grimly. The signs of a firefight were obvious, even without the bodies of stormtroopers scattered haphazardly around the room. Carbon scoring blackened the walls, and blaster bolts had taken out small chips in the duracrete. As she looked around, Alaida was disappointed to see no bodies other than the troopers she had sent with the Death Watch agent, Coorta Mashiri, the woman who had been in charge of this assault. She had sent an entire squadron of troopers, not to mention their leader, and still they had been taken out with apparent ease. They hadn't even managed to take any of their targets with them. Coorta had obviously failed miserably in her task, and Alaida had heard nothing from her in way of either apology or explanation. Which was why she was on this blasted planet now, combing through a battlefield that looked more the troopers had been the ones outnumbered and ambushed instead of the three fugitives who had been holed up in this place.

"Sir?" The trooper interrupted Alaida's train of thought, causing her to rise slowly to her feet, eyebrows raised. She had never been able to get them to call her anything but sir, frustrating as that was.

"What is it?"

"I think you'll want to see this…" the trooper said cautiously, gesturing down a small hall.

Alaida frowned, but followed his lead. A door near the end had been blasted off its hinges, leaving nothing but a twisted hunk of metal. But the destruction wasn't what caused Alaida to stop in her tracks. She let out a slow breath and knelt beside Coorta's body, noting the woman's lack of helmet and the surprised expression fixed on her face.

"This explains why she didn't check in," Alaida murmured, shaking her head and studying the dead woman's face. She had only seen Coorta without her helmet a handful of times. So why would the woman remove it in the middle of a battlefield? She wasn't _that_ reckless, not by a longshot. The wound left no doubt that the shot had been fired while Coorta's helmet was removed, leaving Alaida mystified. "He's not going to be happy to hear this…"

"Shall I comm him, sir?"

Alaida shook her head sharply, rising to her feet. "I'll do it," she said, hiding her reluctance.

She wasn't the skittish type, but the idea of telling _him_ made her more than a little nervous. At least Coorta had been controllable. The woman had worked for an obscene amount of credits, but at least she had wanted something from the Empire in return for her services. _He_ did no such thing, and that made Alaida even more nervous. She didn't trust anyone who didn't have a price.

"Clean this place up, trooper. And take the body, he'll want to inspect it I'm sure," Alaida instructed, looking around the room for any sign of where its occupants had fled to. Unfortunately, Kadira's kidnappers were too good at their job to leave any clues behind. She glanced back to Coorta and sighed. "Make sure not to lose any of her armor. Mandalorians have strange traditions when it comes to their dead. I'm willing to bet Death Watch shares those traditions."

"Yes sir," the trooper responded. Alaida didn't wait for his crisp salute before making her way out of the building. This ridiculous game was getting out of hand. It was time to bring in her trump card.

* * *

Laniff let out a sigh of relief as the _Vanguard_ dropped smoothly out of hyperspace, the planet of Mandalore visible only a short distance away. It was good to be home, that much was for sure.

Ran ducked into the cockpit moments later, taking in the wild planet curiously. He had only been there once before and they had been in a bit of a hurry then, as Laniff recalled.

"Gorgeous, isn't she?" Laniff asked, nodding to the bluegreen orb.

"Not the word I was going to use…"

"That's because you're used to your big ugly cities and their big ugly buildings," Laniff replied cheerfully, steering the Vanguard towards his home planet.

"Do you know where we're going?" Ran asked, taking a seat in the copilot's chair and ignoring Laniff's remark.

"More or less. There's a Bounty Hunter and his partner we need to meet with. Hopefully they can join us in this. If not, then they can probably at least point us to the people who can."

"Who exactly _are_ these people?" Ran asked slowly, obviously distracted by the view of Mandalore.

"Cin Vhetin and his partner, Jaimie Moqena. Some of the best in the business."

"But?"

"But what?"

"You seem hesitant," Ran said, his tone slightly accusing.

"Well… Vhetin happens to be a little… sociopathic," Laniff admitted finally, shrugging. He knew he'd mentioned it to Ran in passing, but he hadn't brought it up again.

Ran let out a slow breath, closing his eyes. "…You have interesting contacts, Laniff," he said finally, shaking his head. "How will this… Vhetin be able to help us, exactly?"

"Well I don't know, _exactly_, but Kadira met him once before and seemed pretty impressed. He and his partner have brought in some pretty big bounties, and gone through some major _osik_ to do it. He's a good Mando, and his partner is pretty _mandokarla_ herself. "

"Mandokarla?" Ran asked, frowning.

Laniff hesitated, trying to find the best way to translate it. "…She's got the right stuff," he said finally, shrugging at Ran's peeved look. "What? I'm not a _Mando'a_ teacher, _di'kut_. Go ask somebody else if you want a better translation."

* * *

Kadira leaned her head back against the cool walls of her cell, closing her eyes against the glaring headache she'd woken up with. Jett had finally managed to drug her – again – and she'd woken up in another brand new place. Spike was taking no chances anymore, it seemed.

"Jett, if you make that move Spike will win," she called out, knowing her two captors were playing dejarik. She'd been helping Jett for the past hour, but her advice had been doing little good. Spike had quite the head for strategy.

"Do you have a better idea?" Jett snapped in reply to her comment, no doubt glaring down at the board.

Kadira laughed softly, knowing his irritation was due to the fact that neither of them had found a way the beat Spike yet. Why in the galaxy they were working together was a mystery in itself, after all Jett had been the one to kidnap her in the first place, something Kadira wasn't willing to forgive and forget so easily. But somehow the two had seemed to reach a silent understanding. She still gave him a hard time and would take any chance at escape, but when it came to Spike they had formed a sort of mutual pact. Jett's indifference as to what Spike's real goal was seemed to be wearing off, leaving the clone curious as to what game was being played.

A defeated groan from Jett broke Kadira out of her thoughts and she winced.

"He win again?" she asked. Jett's silence was answer enough and she sighed. "Rematch?"

"_Kad'ika_, we've played four games," Jett reminded her.

"And lost all four. Besides, it's not like you _di'kute _have given me anything else to do."

Jett sighed, apparently realizing the truth in the answer. "Fine. But this time I say we make him do it blindfolded."

"That's hardly fair," Spike responded, his chair creaking as he stretched. Kadira opened one eye and looked at him pointedly.

"I'm a smuggler, _chakaar_. Since when do I play fair?"

* * *

_A/N: Cin Vhetin and Jaimie Moqena will be appearing courtesy of Vhetin1138 on Fanfiction. Check out his stories :)  
_

_Sorry for the large delay in chapters. School is going crazy. I thought I'd have more time over break, but my art final is consuming my life at the moment. I'll try to keep updating as often as I can, thanks for your patience :) As always, I love reviews!_


	3. Chapter 2

"_This_ is your capitol city?"

Ran's voice was disbelieving, and Laniff indulged himself in a sigh within the safe confines of his helmet. Ran had yet to be impressed with Keldabe, the capitol city of Mandalore. True, it didn't have the uniformity of Coruscant or practically any other planet, but it was home. There was no "Mandalore Planning and Zoning" to keep the buildings uniform or even complementary. Instead, each building was made in its own style and often out of completely different materials than its next door neighbor. It was… unique.

"Yes, this is Keldabe. Be nice or you'll get tackled by at least a dozen Mandos in full _beskar'gam_. I may even join in… This is home, _aruetii_. Mine as well as _Kad'ika's_. If you don't like it you can wait on the ship."

Ran let out a slow breath. "It was prettier in the rain," he commented finally.

Laniff shook his head and forged ahead. "Rain just causes mud, _aruetii_. Keldabe can be… an acquired taste. You'll get used to it. Come on, Vhetin and Jay are waiting for us in the _Oyu'baat_."

* * *

Laniff ducked inside the _Oyu'baat_, what amounted to Mandalore's central gathering place. It was in a sense both a hotel and tapcaf, and was almost always busy. Best of all, no Imperials were allowed inside due to the fact that so many Mandos wouldn't remove their helmets in the presence of stormies - a general term for stormtroopers -, and so business would naturally slow. It was the center of most business and the loose government on Mandalore, making it common to see clan leaders present in the ancient building. It was probably one of the safest places on Mandalore for Laniff and Ran at the moment.

Laniff slipped his helmet off his head and breathed deeply, smiling at the familiar sights and smells that accosted his senses. He nodded at the bartender, who waved in response.

"Looks like your friend _Kad'ika_ has caused quite a stir with the Imps," the bartender said, nodding to the bounty list always posted in the _Oyu'baat_ for the convenience of the bounty hunting patrons.

Laniff looked at the number of credits offered and winced slightly, before shrugging. "She never was good at laying low," he said finally, causing the bartender to roar with laughter.

"That she isn't. Your friends are waiting for you in the back booth."

Laniff nodded in thanks and made his way through the crowd, trusting Ran to follow. He caught sight of a Mandalorian in dull black armor with two gray stripes down his helmet, accompanied by a pretty young woman in a black armor-leather jacket.

"Vhetin and Moquena?" he asked, sliding into the booth and clipping his helmet to his side.

The Mandalorian nodded, extending a hand that Laniff clasped in the tradition Mandalorian hand-to-elbow grip. The young woman simply nodded and offered a small smile, her eyes darting curiously to Ran. She was as sharp as they said, then. Not many people could pick up that fact that Ran was more than he seemed. As for Vhetin, Laniff had no doubt that the man was making full use of his HUD scanners. It was almost impossible to tell the direction of a helmeted man's gaze. Laniff studied the two of them for a moment, knowing they were doing the same to him. It was impossible to get much from Vhetin's armor and helmet, other than the fact the he was a Mando. Laniff had heard plenty of stories about him, ranging from his skill with the unconventional lightsaber pike he carried to his almost sociopathic tendencies. Otherwise he was shrouded in mystery, with even his name carrying the message of leaving the past behind. _Cin Vhetin_, white snow.  
Jay was another story. Her hair was dark brown, and her eyes were brown as well. She wore simple clothing, but everything about her seemed to hint at a hidden steel. She was an _aruetii_, sure, but Laniff was willing to bet she could match any Mando woman in determination and pure stubbornness. Laniff was suddenly glad the two were on the Mando side.

"Your message said you needed help, _vod_," Vhetin's voice was calm, his helmet tilted to the side curiously. "You have a job for us?"

Laniff shook his head sharply. "Not a job, not exactly. I need a team to help out a friend of mine, one you've met. Kadira Sal."

Jay glanced up. "The smuggler from Corellia, right?"

Laniff nodded. "She mentioned you two a while ago, seemed pretty impressed. Said you two were some of the best she's met, and she's smuggled hunters in and out of plenty of systems." Laniff saw Ran's eyebrows raise at that, but he kept going.

"_Kad'ika _said you two were the ones to go to if anything ever went… wrong." Again, Laniff noted Ran's surprise. Kadira obviously hadn't mentioned that she expected things to go downhill sooner rather than later. It was part of a Mando's mindset to plan for the worst, even if they did keep that plan to themselves. "She was kidnapped by a stormtrooper deserter, who is now holding her hostage. He's given Ran and I a job to accomplish, or he'll make sure Kadira doesn't make it back."

"Are you planning a rescue?" Vhetin asked.

"No," Ran spoke up. "Not yet anyway. We're going to play along for a while, give Kadira a chance to find out what she can on her end before we yank her out. Besides, there's a large chance that this trooper isn't working alone. Before we know that, attempting a rescue is just asking to get her killed."

Jay nodded, glancing up at her partner. "Where do we come in?"

Laniff let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not going to ask you to come with us," he said finally. "It's not your fight and you have enough on your plate as it is. Besides, I have another favor to ask of you. But first, I need help getting a team together. Preferably someone who doesn't need to stay on good terms with the Imps. I have no doubt that they'll be close on our _shebs_ this whole job."

Laniff glanced at Jay pointedly before looking back to Vhetin, knowing the man would get the message. Kadira was good at guessing as well as keeping track of Imperial fugitives, especially if they hailed from her home planet. She hadn't cut all ties to her heritage, unlike some Mandos.

"I can find you a team. But I don't like the idea of leaving a _vod_ in the hands of an Imperial, even if he is a deserter," Vhetin said, shaking his head slightly.

Laniff smiled grimly. "Glad to hear you say so. That's my second question. I need someone to be standing by to pull _Kad'ika_ out if she finds a way to get free on her own. She's not the kind to sit still and do nothing, but right now she has no transportation. The _Vanguard_ is with us, and her captors are too smart to leave a ship just hanging around when they're holding a smuggler. I have a secure comm she'll contact me on if she gets loose. I want to leave it with you and have you pull her out, since it's unlikely Ran and I will be able to in time."

"That's a lot of trust to put in us when you've just met us," Jay observed.

"You're my _vod, _we put our lives in each other's hands every time we go on a deployment. And _Kad'ika_ trusts you, so that's enough for me."

Vhetin seemed to be studying Laniff and Ran before he nodded. "I can point you to a good team. There's a bounty hunter who should able to help you, goes by the name of Jonika. She's not a Mando, but I'll give her your contact info anyway. She's a reliable source, but keep your eye on her, she's slippery. Jay and I can be ready to extract Kadira if we hear from her. You sure she has something up her sleeve?"

Laniff smiled. "Ask your partner. She knows the Corellian mindset. Add to that the Mandalorian stubbornness and I can almost guarantee you'll hear from her within the week."

Ran touched Laniff on the shoulder, rising to his feet. "I have a call to make, I'll meet you back on board the _Vanguard_," he said, turning on his heel and disappearing before Laniff could respond.

"Friend of yours?" Jay asked, eyebrows raised.

"Relative term," Laniff responded dryly, running one hand through his hair.

"I'm not sure I trust him…" Jay mused slowly, earning an impressed look from Laniff.

"You catch on quickly. That would be _Kad'ika's_ boss, Ran Scorlo. None of us really trust him, but we don't mistrust him either."

"Keep your eye on him too, _vod_," Vhetin said quietly, his helmeted head turned towards the door Ran had disappeared through. "He reads like a spook."

"By _te Manda_, let's hope not," Laniff sighed, shaking his head. The last thing he needed was for Ran to end up being Imperial Intelligence. "I'll keep you two updated when I can. Thanks, _vod_. I owe you. Both of you," he added, nodding to Jay. She might not be officially _Mando_, but she counted as _vod_ in his eyes. _Aruetii_ or not, she'd more than earned her place here. "_K'oyacyi_."

Vhetin nodded, clasping Laniff's outstretched arm. "_K'oyacyi_."

* * *

Ran tapped his steepled fingers against his chin impatiently, his dark eyes fixed on the Vanguard's holoprojector.

"Pick up, Spike," he growled. "Answer the fierfekking comm."

As if in response, the holoprojector sprang to life, a blue image wavering in and out of focus before solidifying.

"I was wondering when you'd figure it out and give me a call, Scorlo. I have to say, I'm disappointed it took you so long," Spike's voice echoed slightly thanks to the comm channel, but Ran could still recognize the man with ease.

"Shut it, Spike," Ran snapped, rising to his feet. He could feel the anger welling up in his chest, something he'd managed to banish for a long time. Spike had a way of stirring things up. "Drop the act. You and I both know this is all just a revenge game."

"Oh this is too good. Let me guess, you want me to cut Jett loose and let your pilot go. After all, this is between you and me, there's no need to get anyone else in the middle… Really, Ran, you're losing your nerve. You played life and death games with plenty of other people's lives. Now it's my turn. So let's cut to the chase and I'll give you my answer without all the ingenious threats you have planned. After all, your time _is_ running short," Spike waited a moment, but Ran stayed silent, struggling to control the rage that was building.

"You play my game, Scorlo. You watch as I destroy everyone around you, just like I watched you do to me. You will sit there as your team falls apart, as everyone around you shatters. And you'll live through it all. Best of all, they'll know everything about you. Everything. There's nothing you can do to stop it. I'm giving you the chance to save your friend, which is more than you gave me."

Ran shook his head. "You're a good liar, Spike. But not that good. You're not going to let her go."

Spike paused a moment, then shrugged. "Guess you'll have to wait and see, old friend. Just remember, you're on a timetable. I'd get moving if I were you. Jett's crew can't stay alive forever, and he's the one with the most to lose here. You and I both know how easily that can be turned against your pilot friend."

"I've met hutts with more honor than you, Spike."

Spike chuckled. "I doubt it. Just keep in mind who taught me, Scorlo. You've only got yourself to blame."

The hologram faded as Spike cut the line, causing Ran to curse and slam his fist down onto the device. He shouldn't have expected any other response, but somehow he'd let himself hope.

The holoprojector shimmered to life again, taking Ran by surprise until he saw that it was Laniff.

"What?" Ran snapped, glaring at the image.

"Ouch. Retract the claws, _aruetii_… I have one more person to see before I head back to the _Vanguard_. Try to be in a better mood when I get back, we'll have a guest on board."

"Who?" Ran asked, curiosity piqued.

"_Kad'ika's _dad," Laniff said. "He'll want to be in on this."

* * *

"Look, I'm going to land this ship with or without your permission. So either give me clearance or go put yourself and your fierfekking ship into a imploding star, stormie," the woman issuing the threats leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed over her chest irritably, glaring at the spacecraft that loomed between her and the planet of Mandalore down below.

"Captain, protocols-"

"I don't give a hutt's promise about your stupid protocols. Now either let me land or watch me break your barricade and embarrass you sorry excuses for soldiers. I'm here on business of the Corellian SpecOps, and I'm going to carry out that business. Do you understand? Or am I using too many big words?"

There was silence on the other end of the comm and Caida tapped her fingers impatiently against the ship's console, growing more and more irritated as time passed.

_You better actually be in trouble, Kadira. If not, I'm going to-_

The comm crackled back to life, cutting her thoughts short.

"Captain? You're cleared for landing on Mandalore. Have a pleasant stay."

"Yeah, right," Caida said, shutting off the comm and sending her ship rocketing forward towards Mandalore. Why her partner had chosen such a wild, backwards planet to retreat to was beyond Caida. But something was up, and Caida had yet to leave a call for help unanswered.

"Kad, if you already got yourself killed after all this trouble I'm going to shoot you myself," she muttered, ignoring the lack of logic in the statement. This had better be worth her time.

* * *

_A/N: Vhetin and Jay appear courtesy of Vhetin1138 here on FanFiction. Go check out his stories, they're worth it, promise :)  
_

_Again, sorry for the delay in postings, finals are coming up quickly. I figured I should post a chapter before my life went completely insane.. __ As always, I love reviews!_


	4. Chapter 3

Iam Sal banged one armored fist against the Vanguard's hull, studying Laniff with narrowed eyes. Unfortunately he was unable to see the boy's – man's, he corrected himself, Laniff was a man now – expression, masked as it was by his battered red and gold armor. That was the only problem with living with Mandos, Iam reasoned. As amazing as the _beskar'gam_ was against practically any weapon, you were left without the reference of facial expressions and body language could only go so far. Laniff in particular tended to be hard to read, leaving Iam with very few clues.

"You're not going to tell me anything else?" he asked, his voice a low rumble even with his helmet's vocoder. Laniff turned his head to gaze at the short, muscular man and shook his head.

"I don't _know_ anything else, _Iam'buir_," he replied with a shrug, turning back to the _Vanguard_ calmly.

_Iam'buir_. Pappa Iam. Laniff might not be his son – either by blood or adoption – but the two were as close as if they really were father and son. Ever since Laniff's father had been killed, Iam had taken the lad under his wing. Iam had no idea when the nickname had started, certainly before _Kad'ika_ had come into the mix, but it was a term Iam treasured from both Kadira and Laniff. They were the only two he had left in the galaxy anymore that he could honestly call family. And he couldn't imagine anyone else he'd rather have carrying that title.

The Vanguard's ramp slid down, interrupting Iam's thoughts and causing him to frown slightly. The ramp needed some work, as it didn't extend as smoothly as it ought to… he'd have to fix it for _Kad'ika_. Wouldn't want the blasted thing to get stuck.

A man came down the ramp, capturing Iam's attention and drawing him away from his thoughts once more. He was young and tall, with dark hair and dark eyes. He had a scar across his forehead, earned on Belsavis, if Iam remembered correctly. This was Ran Scorlo, then.

"So you're _Kad'ika'_s boss," Iam's voice was a low rumble, sounding less than impressed. "I had a feeling I wouldn't like you."

Ran stopped and blinked, obviously startled by the curt greeting. From the corner of his eye, Iam saw Laniff remove his helmet, looking amused as he ducked inside the Vanguard. Iam followed, leaving Ran to bring up the rear and close the ramp behind them.

"Seems like most of you Mandos don't care for me at first," Ran ventured slowly. Iam felt a small degree of satisfaction, knowing he had thrown the man off balance.

Iam merely snorted in response to the implied question, clipping his gray and orange helmet to his waist, revealing calm brown eyes and hair that had been brown in his youth but was now streaked with gray. He ran one gloved hand along the Vanguard's walls, using the sensors embedded in the cloth to look for any damage.

"_Kad'ika's_ taken good care of this bucket," he said at last, his voice softening. "Laniff said she's managed to get herself in a bit of a situation." It wasn't a question, but Iam waited for a reply anyway, beginning to feel slightly guilty. Ran may be _aruetii_, but _Kad'ika_ obviously liked him enough to work with him. It wasn't the lad's fault that he'd been born outside of the Mando circle. Even less his fault that _Kad'ika_ had gotten herself tangled up in yet another situation – it wasn't her style to let others take risks while she sat in the background.

_Wonder where she got that from?_ he mused wryly, knowing it was one of his traits as well. No wonder few people even outside of Mandalore had little trouble accepting them as father and daughter.

"Yes… Ah, sir," Ran added at the last minute, glancing to Laniff for instruction, but the red-gold armored man offered no advice. He was apparently leaving Ran to fend for himself, something Iam appreciated. He wanted to see Ran on his own merit. "I wasn't aware that Kadira had any blood relatives left…" Ran ventured finally.

Iam studied Ran a moment, deciding whether or not the question had been meant maliciously. Deciding it hadn't, he answered calmly, his voice becoming kinder than it had been before. Ran had apparently passed his tests.

"I'm Iam Sal, _Kad'ika's_ father," he confirmed. "Mandos don't differentiate between blood and adoptive relatives. _Aliit ori'shya tal'din._ Family is more than blood. She's been my daughter since she first came to Mandalore."

"Now, that's stretching it, _Iam'buir_," Laniff cut in, smiling. "It took her a few months to gain your approval. A bit longer to manage to be adopted. As I recall it was on a Protector deployment."

Iam grunted, not willing to concede the point. He didn't like to dwell on the time he had spent pushing _Kad'ika_ away when she had been so in need of _vod_ – family. She'd spent a long time trying to gain his approval, seeing a father figure in him past the irritated responses and sharp criticism he'd given her at first. It had taken a lot of effort for the girl to even be accepted by him as less than an outsider, much less as a daughter. Yet despite all his efforts to the contrary, she'd grown on him. She had a way of sneaking past people's defenses and earning loyalty quickly. It was part of what had made her such a good soldier, and now made her an excellent smuggler. People genuinely _liked_ her.

"It was her own fault for being so prickly," Iam muttered, his brown eyes twinkling with amused memory.

"You provoked her to it, _buir_," Laniff replied dryly. "She didn't have much choice when you snapped at her like you did. You would have respected her less if she'd just taken it with her head down. Her temper won your respect, admit it."

Iam tilted his head in acknowledgement of the point. "True enough…" he smiled grimly, nodding to the holoprojector that was currently displaying a large amount of information. "_Kad'ika_ worked hard to become a Mando, what say you we bring her back home? Ran, what all do we know? _Lan'ika_ was no help whatsoever in giving details."

Ran seemed to relax, obviously back in his element. "It's a strange one, let me tell you," he said, shaking his head. "It's on a backwater planet, with a name I still haven't figured out how to pronounce."

"We've handled strange before," Iam commented wryly as he and Laniff peered at the holoimage of the planet that Ran pulled up. Both of them glanced at the name with blank faces before shrugging.

"I say we call it Planet A," Laniff suggested finally, earning a smile from Iam.

"Original."

"I do try. What's the climate like?"

"We don't have much information," Ran warned. "Most people avoid the place, apparently. It's known for insane weather that changes without warning. The terrain is rough and the temperature ranges from blistering hot to far below freezing."

"So combine Hoth and Mustafar into one big ugly planet and that's what we have?" Laniff asked cheerfully.

"Minus the lava, but close enough," Ran confirmed.

"Ok, so a planet with creepy weather and bad terrain. And here I was worried this would be boring," Laniff said. "You always pick such _nice_ planets to visit, Ran."

"That's not even the strangest part," Ran replied, pulling up another set of intel. "I did some research and found an… anomaly," he trailed off, apparently uncertain how to continue. Something Iam guessed was rare.

"What did you find?" Iam prodded. "I've seen some pretty strange discrepancies in my lifetime, I doubt this one will give me a heart attack."

Ran smiled slightly as he continued. "The strange thing is this - Jett's squad went missing about _fifteen_ years ago. They were sent to this planet a little while before the Jedi purge. Nobody heard from them again, Jett included... Now by my calculations, with Jett's advanced aging he and his brothers should be about fifty years old. But you said he was closer to twenty. Not to mention the fact he somehow magically reappeared within the Empire, more than a decade after his squad was lost, all without even a scrap of data on the matter… Laniff, are you sure he is who he said?"

"If he's not, then it raises even more questions," Iam mused. "Like why in the galaxy would he send you on a wild goose chase to a backwater planet where a squad disappeared years ago, while holding _Kad'ika_ hostage to make sure you did it. And why would he claim to be a trooper who should be twice his age? …I can keep going."

Laniff nodded slowly in agreement, frowning in bewilderment. "What the fierfek is going on here?"

* * *

"Why?" Kadira persisted, leaning her forehead against her cell and staring at Jett, who was studiously ignoring her. "Why not just pay them to look for your squad? It's usually what you do with Mercenaries. It's certainly easier than kidnapping one of them… Better yet, why do it all? Why not go after your squad yourself?"

Jett sighed, obviously trying to keep his patience. He had been dodging the question for the past twenty minutes, and was running out of ways to redirect her.

"Are you always this persistent?"

"Only when I'm locked in a cell and bored out of my mind," she responded easily, lifting one eyebrow at him. "Now answer the question."

Jett sighed again, louder this time. "I wouldn't know where to start looking for them. I'm a soldier, not a merc."

Kadira snorted. "Right. That's how you busted me out of a cell, after all. With a very impressive set of slicing skills, I must say. You broke me out of a high security Imperial Prison with no trail leading back to you. Classic grunt trooper training, right there."

"Is there any way I can convince you to drop it?" Jett asked, picking up her scout pistol and beginning to fidget with it again. Kadira had started to recognize the motion as a nervous habit, something he did when he was bored or came under stress.

"You could drug her," Spike's voice preceded him and Kadira groaned as he walked into the room.

"Do you ever go away?" she grumbled, closing her eyes.

"I just came back," Spike said, feigning hurt. "Are you really so eager to get rid of me, gorgeous?"

"Yes."

Spike just smiled and tossed a datachip to Jett. "Send that to Ran and Laniff. They'll need it to get started on their hunt for your squad once they're planetside. It should keep them busy, too. Hopefully too busy to come looking for our guest." With that, Spike left the room once more, giving Kadira a smile on his way out, knowing it would only annoy her further. There was silence for a moment before Kadira let out a slow breath.

"Gonna tell me?"

"Nope," Jett replied, slowly taking the scout pistol apart. Again. Why it fascinated him so much, she had no idea.

"Fine. Then let me ask you something else," she took Jett's grunt as permission to continue. She hadn't been expecting that, and so had to scramble for a question."…Whose side are you on? Really?"

Jett looked up slowly, seeming to wrestle with the question. "Mine," he answered finally.

"Must be a lonely side," Kadira responded. "…But let me ask you something. Whose side is _Spike_ on? Because I can guarantee it's not yours. "

"And what makes you so sure?"

"He sees me as a traitor because I left the Empire. I broke no contract, no oath, I just left... How much more of a traitor would he see you as? You _were_ under an oath. You had a 'duty' to the Empire in his mind. You weren't just some space jockey with a ship looking for credits and adventure. You were a soldier. What makes you think he'd help you after you deserted? After what happened to Coorta I know you can't say it's out of the goodness of his heart," Jett was silent and Kadira sighed. "All I'm saying is that maybe you ought to open up those eyes of yours and actually use them. Preferably before he stabs you in the back or shoots you when you're not expecting it. Like Coorta."

Jett stared at her a moment, seeming startled by her bluntness. Kadira smiled grimly and shrugged.

"I told you I was bored. It doesn't make much sense to beat around the bush, does it?"

"I just want my squad back," Jett answered finally, looking back to the pistol with a frown.

Kadira sighed, shaking her head. "Fine. Keep your head stuck in the sand, _di'kut_. But don't blame me when Spike turns out to be the _hut'tuun_ I keep telling you."

* * *

_A/N: Ahhh, sorry for the delay –winces guiltily- I don't even have the excuse of Finals this time, just my muse deciding to take a vacation… I'll try to post a few more chapters quickly to get up to speed. Hopefully my muse cooperates long enough for me to do so… As always, I absolutely love reviews (even anonymous ones, promise! :)) And Merry (late) Christmas!_


	5. Chapter 4

Caida paced restlessly in front of her ship's holocommunicator, glaring at the device as she waited for the other party to pick up. She had finally managed to land on Mandalore and was now impatiently waiting for Kadira to answer the comm with the usual calm, raspy voice that drove Caida crazy.

_Blast it all, I've missed you Kadira,_ she admitted privately. Life on Corellia had never quite been the same without Kadira's quick humor and calm advice. Not to mention the stupid ideas and risks the woman took. She was Corellian to the core when it came to recklessness.

"Answer the bloody comm, Kadira," Caida grumbled, snapping herself out of the sudden nostalgia. She had already double checked the channel she had been given against the one in she had punched in and they matched perfectly. Just as she was about to give up, the image of an armored man sprang to life, flickering only slightly. He was dressed in distinctive Mandalorian armor, classic T-visored helmet and all. But even as anonymous as the armor made its wearer, this definitely was _not_ Kadira.

"This is the _Vanguard_… Mind if I ask who in the galaxy you are?" the man asked, crossing his arms irritably. "This is a secure channel-"

"Look bucket head, I was given this channel as part of a distress call," Caida growled. "Now put Kadira on the comm before I come find her myself. I have clearance from the Corellian military-"

"Kadira? You got this channel from Kadira?" the man's demeanor changed entirely, becoming earnest. "When?"

"Four days ago. _What_ is going on?" she asked, crossing her own arms. She was getting a very bad feeling about all this. If Kadira wasn't answering the comm, where was she? And why did this man seem so eager to know? He didn't seem malicious, but it was hard to tell from a fifteen second conversation.

"…You're Caida," the man said slowly, removing his helmet to reveal a young man. "_Kad'ika's_ partner from the SpecOps… the name's Laniff Dreysel. I'm a friend of _Kad'ika's_. You said she gave you this channel four days ago? But that's impossible, she was captured before then."

"SpecOps get cool toys, bucket head. She still had a way to contact me if she ever needed it. So now I'm here and she's bloody well not. And what do you by mean 'captured'? Where is she?"

The man who had identified himself as Laniff sighed. "You'd best make your way over to our ship. It'll be a lot easier to explain things in person. We leave in thirty minutes, so I suggest you hurry it up."

* * *

"Kidnapped? What do you mean, _kidnapped_?"

Ran winced at the woman's near-shout, not envying Iam the position of dealing with her. She was sharp, annoyed, and Ran was more than happy to stay out of her way. How in the galaxy Kadira had managed to work with the woman was beyond Ran. He couldn't even stand in the same room with her for five minutes, much less trust her to guard his back with a blaster.

"She scares me," Laniff said matter-of-factly, ducking into the room in obvious retreat. "I vote we dump her off the ramp and make a run for it."

"I wouldn't argue with that idea," Ran agreed wryly, wincing as a particularly loud series of insults to Mandalorians and their supposed incompetency reached their ears. "Does she realize that Kadira is a Mando now?"

"…Logical insults don't seem to be her strongpoint," Laniff observed. "She's mad because somehow she thinks we handed _Kad'ika_ over for credits or something. Even though we're the ones trying to rescue her. That's the problem with the classic Mando image, everybody thinks you're a dumb thug out to make credits and shoot people for fun."

"Why did Kadira even comm her?" Ran asked, shaking his head. "I think I'd rather work alone…"

"She's supposed to be good," Laniff answered, but he sounded hesitant. "Though I grant you, I'm not sure it's worth all this trouble…"

Ran glanced towards the suddenly silent cockpit, gauging whether or not it was safe to venture in.

"Think it's safe?" he asked.

"I'm not risking it," Laniff replied with a sharp laugh, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

Just then, Iam and Caida made their way out of the cockpit, Iam looking surprisingly calm and Caida looking like she wanted to shoot them all on sight.

"Caida will be joining us in our…expedition," Iam said calmly, as if nothing had happened. "_Lan'ika_, can you make sure her ship is taken care of while we're gone?"

Laniff blinked, apparently not yet grasping the fact that Caida would be travelling with them.

"Laniff?" Iam prodded gently.

"…Sure thing, _buir_," Laniff agreed finally. If his voice sounded tight, no one chose to comment on it. Ran personally knew exactly how he felt.

This was going to be a _very_ long trip.

* * *

Laniff exited the _Vanguard's_ cockpit restlessly, holding his helmet under one arm. He saw Ran lift one eyebrow at him curiously.

"Get kicked out?" Caida asked, sounding almost smug. She herself had been banned from the cockpit two hours ago. Neither she nor _Iam'buir_ apparently liked sharing authority, and the armored man had won for now, banishing Caida to the rec room. Laniff had been grateful that he wasn't the one locked in a battle of wills with the woman. Kadira was stubborn, but Caida was a downright tyrant. Only Iam's intimidating armor and threat to dump her out on one of the escape pods seemed to convince her that this was a battle she wasn't going to win.

"I forgot why _Kad'ika_ usually flies this bucket," Laniff grumbled in response to the question, plopping down in one of the rec room seats. "There are so many personalized systems and settings that it makes my head spin. _Iam'buir_ finally kicked me out when I tried to dump the escape pods for the third time."

Ran chuckled quietly but made no other response, instead looking down at his interlaced fingers as if lost in thought.

"You have a question. Ask it," Laniff said with a sigh. "Don't give me that look. I know you well enough by now to know when you're worrying over some question you want to ask, so ask away. It's better than watching your face scrunch up like a kath pup's. No, Caida, that was not an invitation to jump into the conversation. Hush, or I'll gag you myself."

Caida made a face at him, but fell silent, apparently deciding it wasn't worth the risk. After all, who knew what these Mandos were capable of doing?

"…'_Buir'_. What's it mean?" Ran asked slowly.

"Father, papa, dad," Laniff said with a shrug. "Why?"

"So you and Kadira are siblings?" Ran asked, brow puckered in a frown.

Laniff chuckled in response, shaking his head. "Nope. Iam took me in after my own _buir_ was killed, but I was never officially adopted. _Kad'ika_ was. Iam's like a second father to me, but I'll always stay a Dreysel."

"I'm guessing it's not a good time to ask what happened to your father?" this time it was Caida, the sarcasm that usually laced her voice replaced by curiosity.

Laniff fell silent, the usually cheerful expression disappearing from his face for a moment. "…Maybe another time, _aruetii_," he said finally, the word holding no rebuke. "Let's focus on one problem at a time."

Ran nodded. "The issue will be choosing only one to focus on."

"Speaking of problems, did you find anything on our clone friend?"

Ran sighed and ran one hand through his hair in frustration. "Only more puzzle pieces that don't seem to fit," he said, obviously frustrated. "There are comm records of Jett's squad calls from the planet, and everything Jett told you lines up except for the blasted time gap. We even have records of the Republic trying to reach Jett's squad, but after that everything is a blank. They never found anything to point to what happened to the squad, and any other efforts to find them were dropped when the Jedi Purge happened. If this were fifteen years ago it would all make sense, but as it is," Ran shook his head with a sigh. "I can't make heads or tails of it."

"Work it from another angle," Iam's voice came from the doorway to the cockpit, startling all three of them. "_Udesii_, Caida. Get your hand off your blaster before you hurt someone. It's not like stormtroopers are going to board us in the middle of hyperspace."

Caida glared at him, but moved her hand anyway. Iam smiled slightly and continued.

"Stop worrying about the time gap, we obviously lack the intel we need on that count. We can work that angle once we figure out what in the galaxy is going on. For now, work it like you would a cold case. Only difference is we apparently have a live link to that case, someone who may have been there. Once we're out of hyperspace, comm Jett. We need more intel than he's giving us."

"You going to sit in on that call?" Laniff asked curiously, earning a cool smile from Iam.

"I'll stand in the background and look intimidating," he promised. "But I'll keep my mouth shut for now. We need intel, not a source who'd rather see us fly into a black hole."

"Better turn your vocoder off, too," Laniff suggested lightly. "Jett has a way of making you want to strangle him, even if you start with the best of intentions."

* * *

"Go stick your head up an exhaust tube, Spike," Kadira snapped, crossing her arms and leaning against the back wall of her cell.

Spike just chuckled in response, shrugging. "Really, do you honestly believe your team was a random choice? Surely you've wondered about the reason…"

"If you're the one bringing it up, I'd rather not know," Kadira responded through gritted teeth, trying to banish the curiosity she had indeed been struggling with.

Spike smiled and lounged against the table, tilting his head to study her.

"You've met Jett before all this," he said, nodding to the cell she was in. "You even pulled a pistol on him."

Kadira's eyes narrowed even further. "…I've pulled a pistol on a lot of Imps," she said finally, but she didn't quite manage to keep the curiosity out of her tone. Blast it, Spike knew her too well for her to stay indifferent for long. Especially where her team was involved.

Spike smiled. "Oh, but this one is much more memorable-"

"Another word, Spike, and I'll shoot you myself," Jett's voice was cold and calm, coming from the doorway. Spike turned, looking slightly surprised by the clone's silent approach. "I got the supplies you needed. Don't you have something more important to be doing?"

Spike hesitated for a moment, giving Kadira one last look before he exited.

"Just think about it, gorgeous. I'm sure you'll remember." Jett took a threatening step towards him and Spike lifted both hands, still smiling as he retreated.

"…Too easy," Kadira said finally, studying Jett's face closely.

"What?"

"That was too easy," Kadira explained, jerking her head towards the now empty doorway. "All of this has been. Spike doesn't just back off a subject. He has to be right, and either he argues with you until you change your mind or walk away. But he doesn't just give up. And yet he's been doing that this whole time."

Jett grunted, crossing his arms and leaning against the far wall, his face worried.

"…Are you going to ask, or not?" he asked finally, his voice sounding strained.

Kadira studied him, moving forward to lean against the front of her cell, dangling her arms out of the bars.

"No. Not if he wants me to ask and you don't," she answered finally. "The curiosity will kill me, but I'll die knowing I thwarted Spike in at least one thing."

Jett smiled slightly, but his eyes were still troubled.

"Don't go anywhere," he said, apparently choosing to ignore the explosive sigh she gave him in response as he left the room.

* * *

Jett slammed one hand down on the table in front of Spike to get the man's attention. He'd been calm when he left Kadira, but now he was furious. Spike had no right to bring up Jett's personal past, especially what he had been hinting to Kadira.

"Are you insane?" he snarled, shoving the table when Spike didn't look up. "I asked you a question, _aruetii_."

Spike looked up from his datapad slowly, his eyes steely. "Strange choice of words, Jett. Coming from a non-Mando... You're getting too close to her," he stood up, leaning against the table. "She's a pawn. A bloody _pawn_, nothing else. She is not your friend, and she is not to be trusted. Is that clear, or should I draw you a picture?"

"I do _not_ take orders from you," Jett responded, his voice dangerously quiet. Kadira's warnings echoed in his head, making more and more sense as time went on. Something about Spike set off alarms in his head, something that Jett had been choosing to ignore until now. "You almost told her everything. Who is losing their objectiveness now? I want my squad back here in one piece. But I come back to find you playing mind games with someone you say is just a pawn. If that's true, then why is it so bloody important to you for her to know everything?" Spike stayed silent and Jett felt something snap. His voice became even quieter, his tone steely.

"I know exactly what you are doing. You want to tear her down and make her look back and regret everything, even though she was actually right to pull that pistol. But you are not going to get that satisfaction at the expense of my brothers. I might not know the whole story of why you seem to hate her so much, but I'm beginning to think that I need to keep my eye on you more than I need to keep it on her. So I will give you one warning, and one warning only. Back. Off."

* * *

Spike studied Jett for a moment, taking in the stiff posture and the angry set of his face. The man was breathing hard, his fists clenched at his sides as if he was barely restraining himself from taking a swing at Spike.

Blast. Kadira was too good. It had always been true that people liked her, but Spike had been hoping to play this a bit longer. If only he could have kept Jett more firmly on his side for longer, it would have been much easier to finish the plan. Looking back, Spike had to admit he was slightly surprised that the clone had stayed aloof for this long. Even now, Jett wasn't ready to call off the plan. But he was close. Dangerously close, and Spike needed more time.

"…Fine," Spike said finally, clenching his own fists to hide the fact his decision was made coolly, with none of the fury Jett obviously expected. "But know that when she finds out, you'll be thankful she's not holding a blaster. "

"You stay out of it," Jett snarled, "and she _won't_ find out."

Spike shrugged. "Fine. But we have more important things to worry about right now. Or have you forgotten the reason you kidnapped her in the first place?"

Jett's eyes narrowed, and for a moment Spike wondered if he'd overdone it. Undercover work had never been his specialty, and he felt a moment of doubt. Jett was smart, and clones could read the tiniest of facial expressions. But Jett suddenly relaxed, his fists unclenching.

"I haven't forgotten, Spike. Just make sure Ran and Laniff have what they need."

Spike nodded, watching as Jett left the room, apparently believing he was now in charge. Spike felt a small sense of satisfaction. This would definitely work to his advantage.

* * *

_A/N: So my muse definitely seems to be cooperating now… Reviews are greatly appreciated! I may or may not have cookies for those who review… You know, not to try to bribe anyone or anything… ;)_


	6. Chapter 5

"I've told you everything you need to know to find my squad," Jett responded impatiently, the flickering blue image waving one hand dismissively. "Whatever 'gaps' you find aren't important. Just find the squad and this whole thing can be over." The hologram glanced over his shoulder, apparently seeing something that was out of their view.

Caida saw Iam clench and unclench his fists slowly, obviously fighting for patience. She was glad the man had turned his helmet vocoder off, since she was positive he was throwing insults at Kadira's kidnapper within the safe confines of his helmet. Almost as if he read her mind, his head tilted towards her slightly, his expression unreadable beneath his faceplate. Caida turned her focus back on the hologram of Jett, trying not to think about how much that helmet bothered her.

"You're asking us to hunt down a cold trail with plenty of holes in it, Jett," Laniff said, crossing his arms and frowning.

"I'm asking you to find my squad. I've given you everything I know. Now do your job, bucket head."

The comm cut out and Caida let out an explosive breath, glancing at the others. This was definitely _not_ going as planned. Not just with Jett, but the entire mission. She'd been expecting to show up on Mandalore, meet up with Kadira, possibly help her out of trouble with a few pirates and be done. Instead she was on board a custom ship Kadira had somehow managed to afford, along with two other Mandalorians with their bulky armor and a man who would fit in well with most of the spies and underworld traders Caida made a habit of dragging into prisons. This was not what she signed up for, and yet she knew she wasn't about to walk away from it. Kadira would have done the same for her – probably more, even. That was the problem with partners. It was a bond that didn't break easily.

"Well that was a colossal waste of time," Ran observed finally, breaking Caida out of her thoughts. "He knows more than he's saying, that's obvious."

"We'll just have to work off what we have," Iam said finally.

"Let's hope it's enough," Caida added darkly.

* * *

Iam brought the _Vanguard_ to a smooth landing, smiling beneath his visor as he saw Caida's clenched hands. She had volunteered to be his copilot for the landing on the small moon to refuel, but he had a feeling she was regretting that choice now.

"Has anyone ever told you that you fly like a maniac?" Caida asked, sounding shaky.

"Once or twice," Iam replied, not bothering to disguise the amusement in his voice. "_Kad'ika_ thinks I fly too cautiously."

"She would," Caida muttered, still not making an attempt to rise from her chair.

Iam chuckled and leaned back, cracking his neck before rising to his feet.

"Come on, our contact won't wait all year," he said, ducking out of the cockpit and into the hall leading to the rec room. "_Lan'ika_, Ran, come make yourselves useful. I want you to stay with the ship and make sure she gets refueled. And don't let them cheat you. I'll head to the rendezvous point and meet Jonika, see if she's the person we need."

"We're running out of room here, _buir_," Laniff pointed out. "And I doubt this woman will want to hitch a ride in the smuggling compartments. They aren't very comfortable.

"Speaking from experience?" Caida cut in, her eyebrows raised curiously.

"Not one I'm going to share," Laniff replied just as quickly, causing Caida's eyebrows to rise even higher.

"Which is why I want to see if she can research our time gap dilemma," Iam continued, putting one hand on Caida's shoulder as a gentle warning. Now wasn't the time to irritate Laniff with endless questions. The tiny brunette was a spitfire, that was for certain. "We need someone on the intel end, and I have a feeling she might be the right one to do it."

Ran tossed a datachip to Iam, which he caught easily.

"There's the intel we currently have," Ran explained, rubbing his forehead with one hand. "It'll give her a head start at least, and maybe she can find something I can't."

Iam nodded, tucking the chip into a pocket at his waist. "I'll be back soon," he said. "Caida, be nice while I'm gone. I don't want to have to leave you on this rock if I can help it."

Caida muttered something in response and Iam just chuckled, ducking out of the ship without another word.

* * *

The cantina was dark and poorly maintained, boasting only a few small tables. Only one of them was currently occupied, and Iam made his way towards it, sliding into the rickety seat with a grimace. It would be incredibly embarrassing if the whole chair collapsed under him. Not really the first impression he wanted to make on this contact.

"You're the one looking for me?" the woman leaned into the light, giving Iam a good look at her face. She wasn't human, but some sort of amphibious species with gills on the sides of her nose and an oddly shaped head with small gills on the sides. Strapped to her chest was some sort of breathing apparatus, no doubt to help her cope with drier air than her lungs were built for. Her skin was a light shade of pink, with accents in both yellow and red. In all, Iam decided, he had seen much stranger beings in the galaxy. And her reputation was solid.

"You could say as much," Iam replied, leaning forward on the table, partially to take some of his weight off the chair. "How much did Vhetin tell you?"

"He said you're looking for someone to help in the rescue of a Mando, and that I'd best be well behaved or he'd come looking for me himself," she answered, inspecting her long nails casually. "So naturally I agreed to help. I'd rather not be on his bad side."

Iam tilted his head at her, noticing the way she avoided his helmeted gaze. Mandos did tend to have that effect on people, and right now he was willing to use it to his advantage.

"You don't want to be on my bad side either," he said casually, drawing the datachip out of his belt and setting it on the table. "I need intel. I have a team to execute the mission itself, but our… sponsor is rather reluctant to give details. I need someone who can dig through data and find what other people missed. Everything we have so far is on that chip."

"You need me to find what can't be found," Jonika said, interest sparking in her gaze as she eyed the datachip on the table.

Iam smiled within the safety of his helmet. He had pegged her correctly, then. She couldn't pass up a challenge like this.

"Whose records am I going to be digging through?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant even as she kept one eye on the chip.

"Republic and Imperial," he said, noticing the way the gills around her nose quivered slightly. He could only hope it was a sign of interest.

"So if I get caught, I get shot," Jonika said wryly, tilting her head at him and dropping all signs of disinterest. "I think I'm going to like this job."

Iam inclined his helmeted head in response, remembering to keep still when his chair gave a groan of protest at even that small movement.

"You'd best get moving, Mando. Preferably before that chair gives way," Jonika said, flashing him a grin. "I hear the barkeep charges a ridiculous amount for broken furniture."

Iam chuckled and rose from his chair slowly, leaning over to tap the chip with one finger.

"Get me the intel I need, Jonika. I'll make sure you're well paid for it."

Jonika leaned back in her chair, eyeing him for a moment. "Deal," she said finally. "Just don't ask how I _get_ that intel if you're a stickler for things being done… legally."

Iam shrugged. "I'm a Mando, legal is optional."

Jonika nodded. "Then I think we'll work well together. I'll comm you when I have what you need."

* * *

Kadira clamped her hands against her ears, wincing at the piercing wail of the alarm system. She was as far away from the door to her cell as she could get, still holding the small strip of metal she had managed to scavenge and had been trying to pick the lock with.

Jett burst into the room, his own hands going to his ears as he rushed over to a small code panel, punching in a series of numbers that caused the alarms to cease.

Kadira lowered her hands, looking up at him dazedly as he glared down at her.

"Good morning," she said with a grin, waving at him casually from her seat on the floor.

"What did you do?" Jett growled, obviously irritated at being woken.

"You said you needed to be up in an hour. It's been an hour and a half," Kadira answered, subtly sliding the strip of metal into her boot and hoping he hadn't seen the movement. Though she wasn't too hopeful on that count; Jett seemed to show more intelligence than the average stormtrooper.

Jett sighed and leaned his forehead against the bars of the cell, looking at her with tired blue eyes. Kadira felt a small twinge of guilt, knowing he probably wouldn't be given another chance to rest. Then again, it hadn't exactly been her intent to set off the alarm in the first place. If things had gone according to plan, Jett would have simply woken up and found himself short one prisoner. She sighed slightly. Things never went according to plan.

"Is it too much to ask for you to behave for _two_ hours?" Jett grumbled. "On second thought, don't answer that. I don't want to know. Now what _exactly_ did you do?"

Kadira stayed silent and Jett held out one hand.

"I saw you put it in your boot," he admonished when Kadira didn't move. "Hand it over."

Kadira sighed and extracted the metal strip, placing it into his palm with a shrug.

"I had to at least try," she said wryly, lounging back on her hands and squinting up at him. The alarms had given her quite the headache. "You could have just pretended to sleep through the alarms, you know."

"No one could have slept through those alarms, _Kad'ika_," Jett said, passing one hand over his face and chuckling slightly. But the sound held little humor, and Kadira found herself frowning. Jett had been distant lately, and she had to admit it bothered her. "Just try not to cause any more trouble for now," Jett said finally, turning his back to her.

Kadira shrugged in response, watching as Jett sighed and stalked out of the room, obviously annoyed. She waited a few minutes, then got to her feet and moved to the gate of her cell. Thankfully, Jett hadn't bothered to make sure the lock was still engaged. Giving the gate a gentle push, she grinned as it swung open ever so slightly. It wasn't much, but it was enough to inform her that the lock was indeed offline. She'd have to send Jett a comm message thanking him for disengaging the alarm system. It just might give her the edge she needed to finally get out of this place.

* * *

Caida grimaced at the biting wind that slapped her face as she inched down the _Vanguard_'s ramp, cursing herself for taking on this insane job. She should have just stayed on Corellia. Or better yet, volunteered to stay with the ship. Who cared if they all thought she was just hiding. At least she'd be warm.

"You couldn't land in the _desert_ region of the planet?" she grumbled as Iam followed her down the ramp, closing it behind them. Laniff and Ran were already a few meters ahead, obviously trying to put some distance between themselves and Caida's temper. "It had to be the _arctic_ region?"

"The _Vanguard_ will blend better with the snowscape," Iam explained calmly. "Besides, if anyone decides to look for us, they won't start here. They'll start in the forests or the flatlands."

Caida glared at him, knowing he was right but not wanting to admit it. Besides, it was easy for _him_ to say. He had a temperature controlled suit of armor. All she had was three layers of clothing and a borrowed pair of boots that felt ten times heavier than anything Caida would normally wear. They were Kadira's, which explained it. After all, the woman walked around in heavy armor made from Mandalorian iron. Caida could only expect her former partner to use heavyweight boots on top of it all.

Caida glanced back at the ship, taking in its smooth, graceful lines and slightly angular shape. It was a beauty, that was for certain, and Caida wasn't easily impressed by ships. She had always thought they were just transports. But the _Vanguard_ was something else entirely.

"What kind of ship is it?" she asked finally, glancing to Iam.

Iam craned his neck around to view the _Vanguard_, though Caida knew he could have just glanced up to the wraparound vision inside his visor. He was being careful to use his body language for her benefit, since facial expressions were out of the question with his helmet on.

"It's an X-70B Phantom," he answered simply.

"Never heard of it."

"You wouldn't," Iam said. "Most people haven't, even experienced spacers. It was a prototype ship used ages ago, pretty close after the Mandalorian Wars. _Kad'ika_ somehow got her hands on the plans for it and had the thing built - with a few upgrades, obviously. They were never mass produced when they were designed, too expensive. Even now, that bucket wasn't cheap. But it's got some of the most advanced systems you can find, and a few upgrades she made personally," he chuckled, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. "Even I don't know everything it can do."

Caida shook her head wryly. "She always did like her ships. So long as it wasn't a one-man fighter."

"Even back then, huh?" Iam said, shaking his head. "She still thinks they're just a fancy death trap. I can't get her inside one for anything."

Caida laughed softly, remembering Kadira telling her the exact same thing years ago. She glanced ahead, noticing Laniff and Ran were out of sight. They had volunteered to split off and scout ahead, working together for once.

"…I think they're afraid of me," she said finally, not bothering to hide the amusement in her voice.

Iam surprised her by laughing. "They've seen _Kad'ika's_ temper, and they've figured out that yours is worse. They're keeping their distance… But if it finally convinces them to work together, I'm not going to argue. "

"What happens if they just fight the whole way and end up walking into a trap?"

Iam shrugged. "Then we get them out."

Caida rolled her eyes and kept moving. Leave it to a Mando to make things sound overly simple.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for sticking with me so far, my muse seems to be cooperating again :) As always, reviews totally make my day. (I grin like an idiot whenever I get one, honest.)_


	7. Chapter 6

"Pick up, Laniff, come on," Kadira murmured, glancing away from the small holoprojector she held to look down the dark hall. She couldn't afford for Spike or Jett to find her, not yet. She still had things to put into place. "Pick up the blasted comm, Laniff!"

As if in answer, the holoprojector sprang to life, showing a wavering blue image of a familiar Mando. Kadira blinked, startled to see Cin Vhetin's distinctive armor instead of Laniff's. She knew she had used the right channel, there was no way she had the wrong one. So why had Vhetin picked up, and not Laniff?

"Your friend said you'd manage to call," Vhetin said finally, tilting his helmeted head to the side. "I didn't expect it to be so soon."

"Vhetin… No offense, but I wasn't expecting to see you on this comm," Kadira replied, glancing down the hall once more.

"Dreysel gave it to me in case you managed to get loose," the gray armored Mandalorian explained, one hand to the side of his helmet. "I take it you're ready for a rescue."

"You could say that, yes," Kadira replied, offering a smile. "I'm dying to know how Laniff roped you into this, but I'll wait to ask. I don't think I have much time. I'm sending you the coordinates now. Thanks, _vod_, I owe you. Majorly."

Vhetin chuckled. "Dreysel said the same thing. I'll let Jay know you need an extraction. We'll be there as soon as we can. Keep this comm with you, I'll contact you when we're close."

"Will do. _Vor'e, ner vod_."

* * *

"_Buir_, we've scouted to the west, can't seem to find anything," Laniff reported, one hand to the side of his helmet as he waited for Iam's response. When it didn't come, he frowned. "_Buir_?"

Laniff slowed to a halt, Ran doing the same beside him.

"What's wrong?" Ran asked, causing Laniff to glance at him.

"_Buir's_ not answering… In fact, I'm getting no signal at all," Laniff said, scanning the surrounding landscape uneasily with his HUD but finding nothing out of the ordinary in the white snowscape.

"Maybe we're out of range…" Ran ventured, but even to Laniff he didn't sound convinced.

"I was on the long range comm," Laniff said grimly. "Blast, I can't even read any of the _Vanguard's_ systems now. What the heck is going on? … All my communications are going dark. Closest ones first, spreading out…"

"Laniff…"

"I don't know how to fix it, so don't suggest it," Laniff growled impatiently. "It's just the comms, all the other systems are fine… Someone's jamming me, and they're doing a blasted good job of it."

"We should head back to Iam and Caida, see if they're having the same trouble," Ran suggested, beginning to retrace his steps. "Plus we don't want to get further in and find out your whole suit shuts down."

"Good plan," Laniff agreed. "Come on, before we get separated even further. I don't want to get stuck here if we can help it."

"Think this is something we should worry about?" Ran asked after a few moments of silence, lifting his head to scan the snowscape around them.

"I hope not," Laniff replied grimly, keeping his own eye on his HUD's scanners. "But since when have things ever worked out in our favor?"

They continued trudging through the deep snow in silence, both of them growing more and more uneasy as time passed. There was something very wrong about this planet, Laniff could feel it.

"Hold up… Comms are back," Laniff said, holding up a hand to Ran. "_Buir_? You reading me?" he glanced at Ran and transferred the feed to the comm on his gauntlet to allow the other man to listen in to both sides of the conversation.

"What happened, son?" Iam's voice came over the comm, sounding immensely relieved. "We weren't able to raise you on the comm."

"We don't know. It's like we crossed an invisible line and my comms started going out. We just got them back."

"Did your scanners go out?" Iam asked, sounding worried.

"No, everything else was working fine, just the comms were gone. Let me backtrack, see if it happens again," Laniff suggested.

"Leave Ran where you are now, and keep him in sight. I want one of you to be able to comm me if something happens," Iam instructed. "I don't like this."

"Will do, _buir_."

"Keep him in sight, Laniff," Iam repeated firmly. "One squad disappeared here already. Let's not add to the count of missing men."

"Copy that. I'll check back in when I know more."

* * *

"Blast," Kadira grumbled, kneeling to inspect the tiny device she had noticed on the corner of one of the warehouse windows. She had been looking for a way out of this place ever since she'd spoken to Vhetin, but so far hadn't had any luck. Spike had placed sensors across every window and doorway she'd come across so far, and each was hooked to what looked like a small explosive. The last thing she wanted was to be blown up the moment she tripped the sensor. Especially when she had a rescue all lined up and ready.

"Spike really did a number on this place," Jett's voice came from behind her and Kadira sighed, turning to face the armored man.

"Couldn't have given me another hour?" she asked, mirroring his posture by leaning against the wall. She was careful not to trip the sensor she'd been inspecting.

Jett shrugged. "It wouldn't have mattered. Spike covered every door and every window in this place."

"I'm not going back in that cell, Jett," Kadira said, crossing her arms. "I'm not going back to being a pawn in Spike's little game."

"I could always shoot you and drag you back there," Jett pointed out, drawing the pistol from his waist. Kadira scowled as she saw it was her own scout blaster.

"But you won't," she replied, turning her attention back to his helmeted face. She couldn't see his expression, but living with Mandos had taught her not to be cowed by an expressionless helmet. That didn't mean it wasn't disconcerting, but she had learned to move past the feeling.

"I shot you before."

"With a dart," Kadira reminded him, raising one eyebrow. "That's a little bit different than a blaster."

"_Kad'ika_…"

"Look. You have to make a choice, Jett. You can't just stand in the middle anymore. You can side with Spike, drag me back to my cell and hope that my team plays your game long enough to rescue your squad. Or you can side with me and know that Laniff and I will keep looking for your squad as long as it takes to find them."

She saw Jett hesitate, saw his hand shift on the blaster's grip as he struggled.

"What makes siding with you any better?" he asked finally, tilting his head at her. "Spike has all the cards."

Kadira surprised herself by laughing. "Is that was he's been telling you? Jett, step back and take a look. Spike controls my team, sure. But he got to that point by kidnapping me and using me as a hostage. I step out of that role and everything falls down around him. Spike can only play this game for so long, Jett. And you can't stay neutral forever."

Jett was completely still and Kadira held her breath, waiting. He had to make a choice, and he had to make it now. She let out an explosive breath as he lowered the pistol.

"You win, _Kad'ika_."

* * *

"Find her?" Spike asked, not turning around. Jett studied him a moment, trying to come to terms with the decision he'd made. A week ago and he would have followed any order Spike gave. But as soon as _Kad'ika_ had come into the picture…

"No, not yet," he answered, taking his helmet off and setting it on the table. "I thought you said her cell was secure."

"It was," Spike growled. "It was made to hold wookiees, holding one Mando with no armor or weapons should have been simple."

"Pity that the Mando used her brain," Jett muttered. "Not to mention she apparently has some pretty advanced lockpicking skills."

"We need her, Jett. As soon as she's gone, Dreysel and Scorlo won't keep up the search for your squad and they'll be on our trail. She needs to be back in that cell as soon as possible."

Funny, how concerned Spike could sound. As if this was the entire game. It would have fooled Jett, once, made him believe Spike was on his side. But now he knew better. Coorta's death should have been clue enough, but Jett had chosen to look past it.

_I didn't want to believe it,_ he acknowledged. Kad'ika _was right. I was willing to turn a blind eye because Spike supposedly offered the only chance of getting my squad back._

He glanced up at Spike, weighing his decision once more. Finally, he rose to his feet with a sigh. "I'll keep looking," he said finally. He was certain he'd made the right choice. And besides, it was too late to turn back on it now.

Half an hour later, he let out a frustrated sigh. Spike had locked the place down tight, leaving Jett hard pressed to find a way to sneak _Kad'ika_ out. In fact, he had yet to find any way for her to leave without setting off an alarm at best, a small bomb at worst. Spike was very thorough, that much was for certain.

"Find anything?" Jett spun to find Kadira leaning against the doorframe, eyebrows raised as she took in his reaction. "Jumpy much?"

"Only when people decide to sneak up on me," Jett scolded, frowning.

"I wasn't sneaking," Kadira responded, raising both hands as if she was fending off the accusation. "You just weren't paying attention."

Jett sighed, dismissing the point with a wave of his hand. "I don't think we're going to be able to sneak you out."

Kadira scowled, glancing up at the ceiling before seeming to dismiss whatever thought she might have had.

"I'm starting to come to the same conclusion. But Spike isn't going to sit around forever. I'm running out of time here, Jett."

"We still have to find a way for you to get off-planet," Jett reminded her running one hand over his face with a sigh.

"That's taken care of," Kadira replied, ignoring is raised eyebrow. Jett sighed again, following her gaze around the walls.

"We may have to come at it from a different angle," he said finally, offering a shrug. "We may have to go head-to-head with Spike on this one."

Kadira was silent, not meeting his gaze. Jett frowned. Was she… frightened? She didn't strike him as the timid type. In fact, he knew she wasn't, but still… The smile that appeared on her face broke his train of his thought and he raised both eyebrows curiously.

"What?"

"Well… we do have a wookiee cage," Kadira said, offering him an impish smile. "It'd be a shame for it to go to waste."

* * *

"_Buir_, are you reading me?" Laniff asked, glancing to Ran to be sure he hadn't lost sight of the man. There was no answer over his comm and Laniff glanced to the data readings in his HUD, his frown deepening as he saw his comm channels going down one by one again. So it hadn't been a fluke the first time.

Still, his HUD wasn't picking up any large signs of life or any sort of base in the immediate area. Normally, he'd scan for any chatter on local comm channels, but that option was currently out of the question. His communication systems were definitely being jammed, no easy feat in itself. Especially on a backwater and supposedly uninhabited world like this.

He trekked back to Ran, sighing in relief when his comms came back online.

"Looks like we found something, _buir_. Comms go out pretty suddenly, looks like some sort of jamming device," he said, glancing up at the clear sky as if waiting for a starship to come screeching overhead.

"There isn't supposed to be anyone on this rock, much less someone with a jamming device. You sure?"

"Positive. All the signs match up. It looks like it's based over a certain area, which rules out any other plausible reasons. Normally I'd be suspicious of Jett, but if this was something he cooked up I think all my systems would be down. He'd know I have more than just a couple comm channels in my _buy'ce_. I think he would have made sure to fry the other systems as well," Laniff mused.

"You're probably right. I think this is something different. Wait where you are, Caida and I are on our way to you. Whatever we're looking for is probably in that area."

"Copy. We'll wait here for you."

Laniff glanced to Ran as he switched off the comm, letting out a sigh. "Things can never be easy, can they?"

"Kadira would scold you for having no sense of adventure," Ran responded wryly.

Laniff rolled his eyes. "That she would."

It was a good half hour before Iam and Caida made it to them, showing Ran and Laniff just how far the two groups had been separated.

"Where's it start, son?" Iam asked, coming to stand shoulder to shoulder with Laniff. Caida hung back, her eyes wary as she continuously scanned the snowscape. Laniff couldn't blame her, as he'd been doing the same thing.

"A few meters that way," Laniff said, lifting one gloved hand to point. "It starts out fairly slow, which is why I didn't notice it at first."

Iam nodded. "It sounds like it was meant to cut someone off without them realizing it."

"So nothing legitimate or legal would be happening in that zone," Caida sighed. "There go my hopes for the day."

Iam chuckled. "I'd say you're right, it's not meant as a deterrent so I highly doubt it's the Empire or anyone else we'd have to play nice with."

"So it's definitely a trap," Ran said.

"Seems like it. And I'd hate to disappoint by not springing it. We'll spread out, but keep each other within sight. I don't want to lose anyone on this planet, alright? You lose sight of someone, you stop and if they don't reappear, you signal me and we all look for them together. Got it?"

"That'll slow us down," Caida observed with a frown.

"If it keeps all of us together, then it's worth it," Iam replied firmly. "We're not in a big rush to get through this. Kad'ika will take care of herself, and we're not going to help her by losing members of the group. So stick together, all right?"

Caida hesitated before nodding, seeming to see the reason in the statement. Laniff let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, grateful for the lack of argument.

* * *

Iam gave both Ran and Caida a small pack of flares, making sure Laniff had plenty as well. He wanted them all to have some sort of emergency system in case the worst happened and they were all separated.

"Remember, stay in sight of at least one of the group and keep your pistols close. Don't let yourself be caught off guard."

With that, the four fanned out, careful to keep each other in sight as they made their way across the frozen terrain. Laniff and Iam were stationed on each end of the line, using their HUDs to scan the surrounding landscape. The four used common military hand signals to communicate and pass information down the line, making Iam grateful that both Caida and Ran seemed to have military backgrounds. It would have been much harder to communicate if they were simply civilians helping out. Shouted words were easily lost or garbled by wind, and improvised signals were easily misunderstood.

Iam glanced to his left, frowning as Ran suddenly disappeared from view. He couldn't see the others, as they were stretched out beyond his range of vision with Ran being the link between them.

"Come on, lad," Iam murmured, waiting for the man to reappear. "Where'd you go?"

He waited a few moments more, hoping Ran would appear again. He felt himself grow more and more tense uneasy the man remained missing. He knew Laniff and Caida would have halted by now as well.

Iam's frown deepened as the seconds ticked by with no sign of Ran. He had just started towards the last spot he had seen Ran when the man reappeared, waving an all clear signal. Iam sighed in relief. There must have been a dip in the landscape that hid Ran from view. It would have been impossible to spot from a distance thanks to the smooth covering of snow that gave the illusion of a flat plain.

His relief was cut short as a shot rang out. Iam was running before he even registered Ran's cry of pain that carried through the cold air. He saw Ran fall, disappearing from sight even as more shots rang out. He came within view of Caida, saw Laniff tackle her to the ground and cover her with his own armored body. Iam even saw the shots that struck Laniff's _beskar'gam_, the armor no doubt saving both Laniff and Caida from anything worse than a few bad bruises.

Iam dropped to his knees beside Ran, careful to keep both of them sheltered from the blasterfire that seemed to be tapering off.

"Let me see, lad," Iam said, gently moving Ran's hand away from his side. The wound was bad, the pain evident by the whiteness of Ran's face. Ran gasped as Iam gently examined the area, causing the man to grit his teeth in sympathy.

A figure slid down the slope to Iam's right, causing the Mandalorian to spin, blaster drawn and aimed steadily at the intruder.

"One more move and I shoot."

* * *

_A/N: Thanks again for your patience with my delays :) As always, I love to read/hear reviews, they make writing so much more interesting :)_


	8. Chapter 7

"Look, you can sit here and watch your friend bleed out, or you can let me help you," the intruder said, hands lifted in surrender. Iam didn't lower his pistol, too cautious to take the risk with Ran's life.

"How exactly do you plan to help?" Iam growled. "For all I know, you could be the one who gave the order to shoot. Stop, I said don't take another step!"

"Save the attitude, bucket head," the intruder snapped, coming forward to kneel by Ran. The woman proceeded to inspect the wound, ignoring the way Ran closed his eyes, his face pale. "He needs help, and he needs it now. We need to get you out of here. Can you convince your friends to take out the attackers, or would they rather just keep getting shot at?"

She had a point. They wouldn't be going much of anywhere with blaster bolts raining down on them. Still, Iam hesitated. Laniff was a sharp lad and resourceful. Ran, on the other hand, was completely helpless here.

"I'm not going to eat him," the woman informed him impatiently. "Now go get the rest of your group before your 'friends' out there decide to venture closer."

"Go on, Iam," Ran managed. "I'll never hear the end of it from Kadira if Laniff gets himself shot to pieces."

"If I come back and you've done something-"

The woman waved her hand, cutting Iam short. "I know, I know, you'll shoot me. Would you go get your people already?"

Iam growled something under his breath before ducking out of what little shelter the snowbank offered. Blasted _aruetii_, they always felt like they had to be the ones to give orders.

His thoughts were cut short as the blasterfire intensified, multiple shots landing too close for his own comfort. He ducked down and ran, making for Laniff's crouched figure. He heard Laniff shout, shoving Caida back behind him just before the landscape was lit up with an explosion that threw the gold and red armored Mandalorian sprawling onto the ice. Iam cursed and fired off a few shots in the general direction the rocket had come from, feeling grateful that Caida had the good sense to stay down with her head covered.

He reached the young woman first and hauled her to her feet by her elbow, careful to cover his with his own armored body as they ran towards the snowbank sheltering Ran. She slid behind the embankment without protest or question when they reached it, leaving Iam free to go back for Laniff. He could only hope the lad's _beskar'gam_ had protected him from the worst of the blast.

* * *

"This is a bad idea," Jett accused in a mutter, earning a small snort from Kadira, who was walking in front of him with her hands bound behind her back.

"You said it had to be convincing. Spike isn't stupid enough to just walk into the cage and let us swing the door shut and lock it. This isn't a late night holodrama."

Jett sighed and continued to guide Kadira down the hall, still unconvinced. "I never said it would be that easy," he defended.

"Do you have a better plan?" Kadira shot back, craning her neck to peer over her shoulder at him. "Because I'm more than willing to listen. I don't want to end up like Coorta if Spike suddenly decides I'm too much trouble to bother with."

"I wouldn't let Spike shoot you," Jett countered, sounding almost hurt.

"You might not get the option of letting him or not letting him. It's not like he gives advanced warning about whether or not he's going to kill someone."

Jett grunted, obviously still irritated. "Just don't do anything stupid."

"Jett, it's me," Kadira replied, turning her face away from him once more. "I always do something stupid."

The two continued in silence, seeming to know that the closer they got to Spike, the more dangerous this game became. When Jett shoved Kadira ahead of him into the command room, he was surprised at how calm she seemed. Any of the nervousness she might have had was gone, her expression as blank as the helmet she normally wore. He was impressed, he had to say, He'd seen his _vod_ with the same expression, but they had been soldiers, bred and raised for it. Even then, they'd had plenty of nerves to contend with at first. Kadira was handling herself like a true veteran. He caught her subtle wink as he moved to her side, obviously trying to reassure him. He gripped her elbow, using the motion to disguise the warning look he gave her to remind her to stay in the role she was meant to be playing here.

"So you found her?" Spike asked, turning with raised brows.

"She was making her way to the armory. You were right, she wasn't willing to leave without her fancy armor," Jett said, lifting one shoulder in a shrug and removing his helmet to set it on the table.

Spike sighed and leaned back against the table, shaking his head at Kadira. Kadira in turn was giving Spike a very convincing glare, though Jett doubted there was much acting in that.

"You're too predictable, Gorgeous," Spike said, moving forward and gripping her chin between thumb and forefinger.

Jett moved away, pretending to inspect the holorecords Spike had pulled up. He palmed a datachip from the desk, careful to keep Kadira or Spike from seeing. He glanced up just in time to see the top of Kadira's head slam into Spike's mouth, sending the man reeling backward. Jett shouted and pulled his pistol as Kadira slipped her wrists out of their bindings and slammed her shoulder into Spike, stumbling as he was pushed back a step. Spike drew back and pulled his own pistol, pointing it straight at Kadira's forehead, breathing hard as the Mandalorian woman froze. She glanced to Jett, obviously wondering what had gone wrong. This wasn't the plan they had discussed. Jett was supposed to have hit Spike with a stun blast by now, not be standing there doing nothing. Jett clenched his jaw, knowing she was wondering if he had betrayed her after all.

"You should have firefekking shot her, Jett," Spike snarled, waving his pistol slightly for emphasis. Not enough to give Kadira a clear opening, but enough to make Jett slightly nervous. "What were you waiting for?"

Jett shrugged with feigned nonchalance and spun his pistol, replacing it in its holster with a flourish. "I didn't want to risk hitting you."

He gave Kadira a subtle nod, quirking one eyebrow at her as if to ask why she was hesitating. Kadira's eyes narrowed for a moment, obviously suspicious before she made her decision. She stepped forward without warning, slamming the flat of her hand into the inside of Spike's wrist and using her other hand to deflect he muzzle of the pistol at the ceiling as it discharged. She then slid her hand around his wrist and pulled down, driving Spike to his knees with a cry of surprise as she wrenched the pistol from his hand.

Spike let out a string of choice curses in at least four languages, which Kadira calmly ignored. One particularly foul curse earned him a light cuff on the head, the only sign that she was listening to him at all. Spike fell silent and glanced between the two, grimacing as Kadira tossed his pistol to Jett, twisting Spike's arm slightly in warning.

"When did you decide to side with her instead of your squad, Jett?"

"Oh, so you haven't lost your ability to speak intelligibly. Pity. And quit being a _di'kut_. He decided between you and me, _hutuun_. Not me and his team. Now shut up and get in the cage before I decide to drug _you_."

Jett swallowed hard as Kadira exited the room with Spike in front of her. He could only hope that Kadira was right, and this wouldn't keep him from seeing his squad again. He had a feeling he'd burned his bridges with Spike, in any case.

Jett sighed and held the datachip up between two fingers, studying it in the dingy lighting. He was glad he'd snagged it before _Kad'ika_ had spotted it. The last thing he needed now was to raise more questions about his past, and the information on this chip would do just that. He grimaced and tucked it into one of the many pouches on his belt. Maybe someday he'd be able to come clean, tell her everything. But that would have to wait for now. His squad had to come first.

Jett picked up his rifle and began to take it apart absently, ignoring the nagging voice that told him keeping secrets was one of the fastest ways to lose _Kad'ika's_ trust.

* * *

Kadira leaned back in her chair, propping her booted feet up on the chair next to her with a sigh. Spike had been deposited in his cell and was sitting quietly, giving harsh looks to anyone who ventured close. She had decided to leave him to stew, knowing he wouldn't be pleasant for quite some time.

_If he's even capable of being pleasant at all,_ she thought to herself, smiling slightly.

"Well that was interesting…" she glanced at Jett from the corner of her eye, waiting for him to take the hint. When he didn't, she sighed. "You want to tell me what the _shab_ happened? You were supposed to knock him out, not just stand there and watch."

Jett finally glanced up, looking completely unrepentant. "I thought you'd like to be the one to take him down is all," he said finally, shrugging.

"That's funny. Here I thought you were done lying to me. Since I'm helping you find your _vod_, and all. Even after you decided to kidnap, drug, and imprison me."

She waited for him to respond, trying to read his expression. When he remained silent she sighed and held out one hand. He raised one eyebrow in question, not moving.

"The pistol, Jett. I'd like it back now, if you don't mind," Kadira explained through gritted teeth. She was beginning to wonder if she should have locked Jett in with Spike, if only to save herself the frustration of dealing with him.

He waited a moment longer, though if it was because he was trying to irritate her further or if he was actually considering keeping the pistol, she couldn't say. When he finally did hand it over, his expression was as blank as ever, almost entirely unreadable.

"You know, Jett, I've spent a lot of time with clones. Skirata's boys, defectors from the clone wars, even some of the stormie clones."

"Your point being?" Jett asked, already bristling.

Kadira shrugged, tucking her pistol into her boot until she could find her armor and therefore her holster. "My point is that you're not as unreadable as you think. Not to a Mando. Your face might not show what you're thinking, but your body language does. Care to talk about whatever's bothering you?"

Jett hesitated a long moment, a conflicted look on his face. Kadira tensed, hoping that somehow he was going to finally talk to her, tell her what was going on in that blasted confusing mind of his.

He sighed finally and shook his head, his shoulders sagging. "I just… I've had a lot on my mind. That's all," he said, turning away.

Kadira shrugged. "Suit yourself, _ner vod_. Just do me a favor, ok? Quit pretending you're fine. It's freaking me out."

Jet chuckled slightly and she smiled, glad she'd accomplished that much. She turned away, preparing to search for her armor and other weapons. From what Spike had mentioned of the planet she and Jett would be headed to, she was certainly going to need them.

"_Kad'ika_?"

She turned back to Jett, eyebrows raised. He didn't turn to face her, instead tilting his head in her direction ever so slightly. "…You called me '_ner vod'_… Did you mean that?"

Kadira let out a slow breath. "Yes, I meant it… Now, can I go find my armor?" she asked, forcing humor into her voice. "I'd rather not wander into the middle of some remote, hostile, ridiculously dangerous planet without it."

Jett laughed slightly, nodding. "Check the storage rooms on the other side of the building. Your armor should be there… _vod_."

* * *

Laniff was struggling to get to his feet as Iam approached, the red-gold armored man groaning slightly as he slipped on the ice. Their attackers were still firing, but Laniff simply turned his shoulder into the bolts, letting his armor take the damage as he struggled to regain his feet. Iam knew it had to feel like he was being kicked by a bantha over and over again, but he seemed to be ignoring it as best as he could. Iam fished in the pocket of his belt, pulling out a small grenade. He snapped the grenade launcher attachment onto his rifle and used it to lob the grenade in the direction of the attackers, smiling as he heard shouts to scatter. His guess had been dead-on, then.

"What in the galaxy are they using?" Laniff griped as he clasped Iam's outstretched arm, allowing the older man to haul him to his feet. Iam used his other hand to fire his rifle, using the wraparound view in his visor to aim as he dragged Laniff behind a large chunk of ice for cover. "I wasn't expecting a wrist rocket. How the _shab_ did they manage to get a hold of that?"

"No idea. Let's give them a taste of our ordinance, see how they like it," Iam replied in a low growl, using his HUD to scan Laniff's armor. Thankfully there didn't seem to be too much damage, just a large burn mark and some chipped paint. He noticed a few dents from the blaster bolts, but the shooters seemed to have horrible aim for the most part, and had done little damage. Thankfully they were nowhere near military in their training.

"Let's," Laniff agreed heartily, checking over his rifle for any damage. "Caida get to safety?"

"She's fine. Let's wipe these _chakaar_ out so we can get Ran some help."

Laniff nodded, knowing it wasn't the time to inquire about Ran. Nothing could be done until they were no longer being shot at. After that, they could get Ran whatever help he might need.

"Flank 'em and take 'em out, _vod'ika_,"Iam instructed, earning a nod from Laniff. He held up one gloved hand, waiting until he heard the shots around them lag slightly. These people would have to reload eventually, and when they did… "Now!" he shouted, ducking low and beginning to run towards their attackers' position, firing continuously.

* * *

Kadira settled her helmet over her head, sighing with relief as her suit sealed with a hiss. She blinked twice, bringing her HUD systems to life as she took a deep breath of filtered air. The armor was heavy, but it was a comforting weight. She scanned the information her HUD fed her, dismissing the low level bounty hunting bulletins that she had set the systems to watch for. She had enough on her plate right now without worrying about taking on more problems.

When she was satisfied that everything was working as it ought to within her helmet, she began to test the weapons worked into the armor itself. She was almost done when a blinking light alerted her to a comm call on the channel Vhetin had been given by Laniff.

She answered it immediately, transferring the feed to the holocomm embedded in her right gauntlet. A shimmering image of Vhetin's partner Jay flickered to life.

"Good to see you again, _vod_," Kadira greeted her with a nod. "Please tell me you have some good news."

Jay grinned. "We're in the system now. Give us an hour and we'll be at the coordinates you gave us," the young woman turned slightly as if listening to something Kadira couldn't hear. When she turned back, the expression on her face was mildly amused. "Vhetin says to stay alive until we get there."

Kadira laughed. "Great advice, I'll do my best to follow it. After all, I'd hate for you to have wasted a trip." She was about to explain about Jett when an alarm cut her short. "_Shab_. This can't be good." She made it into the hall just in time to see thick durasteel plating slide down over each window, the muffled explosion of the booby traps Spike had placed not even denting the thick metal. "Yeah, definitely not good. Try to get here in under an hour, Jay. I don't think I've got that much time."

Jay frowned, but nodded. "We'll get there as soon as we can."

Kadira nodded, glancing at the data her HUD was feeding her. "Watch yourselves. I have no idea what Spike has in store for any visitors. "

"Just keep yourself alive, _vod_," The voice was Vhetin's, though he never stepped into the frame. No doubt he was too busy piloting.

"No promises, but believe me when I say I'll do my best. _Oya, vode_."

She closed the comm channel and started towards the small command room at a run. When she reached it, she skidded around the corner to take in Jett's tight expression.

"We've got a problem," Jett said stiffly, typing furiously in what Kadira could only guess was an attempt to override Spike's safety measures.

"_Shab_. I had a bad feeling you were going to say that," Kadira muttered, glancing at the wailing alarm speakers in annoyance. "What can I do? What's happening?"

"Spike was two steps ahead of us," Jett snapped, having to shout to be heard over the shrill noise. "He's turned this entire place into a prison."

"Definitely not good."

"On top of that, Spike's not in the cage. He got out just before the alarms went off."

"This just gets better and better," Kadira said, wincing. Whoever made these alarm systems so blasted _annoying_ should be arrested. "So we're locked in this place with a very, very angry Spike, and you can't override the systems."

"I'm doing my best," Jett growled, flinching as the alarms' volume increased.

Kadira sighed and turned, taking careful aim decimating the alarm with her pistol. She turned back to find Jett staring at her with lifted eyebrows.

"Hey, be thankful I didn't shoot the whole blasted computer," Kadira defended. "You slice stuff, I shoot stuff. It works. Now tell me what to do."

* * *

_A/N: Again, I am so sorry for the delay. School starting back up kinda killed my writing schedule and muse, so I'm trying to get back into the swing of it. Thank you so much for being patient with me for this long, I truly appreciate it. As always, I really love reviews :)_


	9. Chapter 8

"I can't slice it," Jett said at long last, sighing and putting his head in his hands in frustration. "Everything I do, everything I try, Spike has thought of. I'm blocked every step of the way because he's too blasted _good_."

Kadira winced, leaning over his shoulder to eye the computer. She frowned as she studied the screen, finally taking the back of his chair and sliding it aside, earning a protest from Jett. She ignored him as she began to type furiously, trying to break past Spike's codes herself. Jett might be good, but Kadira's skills hadn't been limited by how legal something might or might not have been**_. _**Though as she looked at what Jett had already tried, she felt her eyebrows rise. His weren't entirely legal, either. Not exactly bounty hunter material, but more military in style. Either way, the codes he had tried were much more organized than the ragtag assortment of tricks Iam had taught Kadira. Still, she was hoping hers were at least different enough to make some sort of difference. In fact…

"Hang on, I think I have figured something out…" she tapped a key victoriously, grinning. The metal door to the room slammed shut, locking and sealing with a thump even as the entire room was plunged into blackness as the power cut out. "…_Shab_."

She grimaced as her HUD switched over to night vision, the systems informing her that the entire building was now without power. Apparently she had managed to trigger an emergency lockdown, shutting down everything that could possibly have been sliced, hacked, or hotwired. There was a moment of complete silence before Kadira heard Jett begin to clap slowly in the darkness. She had no doubt he was grinning as well.

"Well done, _Kad'ika_. We now know how to close the doors. But I feel like I should remind you of something," he stood and came up behind her, fumbling slightly before he managed to place both hands on her shoulders and turn her in the general direction of the now sealed door. She knew he was blissfully unaware of the seething glare she was sending him from inside her helmet. "You see, we're trying to get _out_, just in case you missed that… which means we need the door _open_. And lights tend to help us see where we're going."

"Shut up, _di'kut_," Kadira retorted evenly, shrugging out of his grip and reaching up to switch on the light attached to her helmet. A beam of light cut through the darkness of the room, allowing Jett to see as Kadira moved to inspect the door. She ran one gloved hand along the seam of the door, studying the information the sensors in the fabric transmitted to her HUD. The door wasn't particularly well-made, but would take more than a blaster bolt to force it open. She would definitely prefer to keep her anti-armor rounds in case of a situation that didn't involve a shabbily made door and her own stupidity. "Think we can force it?"

Jett came to stand beside her, crossing his arms and studying the metal speculatively. "I'm guessing a breach charge will take this door out pretty easily. After that, I'm thinking we'll have a better chance at getting out of here if we just abandon the slicing and start improvising. We're probably better off moving around, anyway. And Spike's just as in the dark as we are. More so, since we have you and your fancy systems. I can rig something up pretty quickly, but I do have a condition."

Kadira looked at him, crossing her arms suspiciously. "And what would that be?"

"You stay away from the computers in here from now on. I slice, you stick with shooting and exploding things. Deal?" Jett asked, holding out his hand.

Kadira studied him, fighting a smile. Finally, she gave in and clasped his hand in classic Mando style, hand to elbow.

"Deal. Besides, none of the computers are working anyway… I apparently took out the entire building's power."

"…I'll never know how you manage these things," Jett sighed.

* * *

Iam could feel the snow pulling at his boots, threatening to slow him down if he took one wrong step. Such a step could easily send him hurtling into the path of the many blasterbolts streaking past him. He didn't even blink as one such bolt came within inches of his helmet, knowing that the _beskar_ would most likely protect him if the shot made contact. As it was, the red bolt sliced harmlessly into the snow, leaving Iam still on his feet and charging.

He could hear shouting now, commands to scatter. He cursed softly, knowing he was still too far away to stop their attackers from disappearing into the snowscape. Sure enough, by the time he came over the ridge, their attackers were gone, leaving only imprints in the snow to show they had been there in the first place. Iam scowled, noting the tracks that disappeared only a few feet further on. These were professionals, then. They knew their business well enough to know that two Mandalorians charging even a heavily manned position didn't make for good odds. They had disappeared just as quickly as they had come.

Iam glanced up to see Laniff clear the ridge, shaking his head.

"They're gone, _buir_. All of them. They must know this place like the back of their hand to move so quickly."

Iam sighed and got to his feet, swinging his rifle over his shoulder grimly. "We'd best get back to Ran. I don't want to leave him alone with that shifty _aruetii_ for longer than we have to." Still, he hesitated, glancing around grimly. This definitely didn't bode well for his team. "When I see this Jett character face to face, I'm going to shoot him for sending us into this mess," he said softly. "He'd best hope Ran pulls through this in one piece."

* * *

"_Shab_, this place is like a maze," Kadira muttered, glancing up. The light on her helmet illuminated a catwalk above her, the systems in her HUD informing her that it was empty. Her back was to Jett's, both of them careful to cover their own line of sight as they moved through the warehouse. The two had fallen into old military patterns without thought or question, using hand signals when they could.

"Spike chose it because it would be so easy to lock down if you ever tried to escape," Jett explained grimly. He had donned his stormtrooper armor for lack of better coverage or a more advanced HUD. Kadira had flinched at the way his white form stood out against the darkness, but there was nothing for it. Either he went in bright white armor, or he went without any protection at all. They'd just have to hope that if Spike started picking targets that he chose Kadira. Her _beskar'gam_ had a much higher chance of stopping a blaster bolt than Jett's poorly made gear did.

"Too bad he chose so well," Kadira replied dryly, moving through a doorway and clearing the room before motioning Jett forward. She had just taken a step further into the room her foot caught on a small wire, placed low enough to the ground to be just out of sight. Kadira cursed and threw herself backwards on instinct alone, slamming into Jett and pushing them both out of the room. An explosion ripped through the room a fraction of a second later, sending flames spinning through the open doorway. Kadira felt shrapnel and bits of debris slam into her armor, though the _beskar_ held and the pieces fell harmlessly to the floor.

Jett rolled to his feet first and pulled Kadira up, sweeping both rooms with his rifle and muttering darkly when he found no one. Kadira inspected her armor, noting the chipped paint and scorch marks, but no cracks. Her HUD had already informed her that she and Jett were the only lifeforms anywhere nearby, meaning Spike was long gone. Jett turned back to face her, tilting his helmeted head in gratitude.

"Thanks, by the way. There's no way my armor would have taken that."

"Don't mention it. But the first thing we're doing when we get out of this mess is getting you some practical armor," Kadira promised. "I don't want to keep being your shield, if I can help it."

Jett chuckled wryly and the two continued through the warehouse as quickly as they could manage. Both of them had the sense that time was running out. Kadira knew there was no way Spike's endgame was as simple as getting out. This place was too easy to use as a trap, too good for Spike to pass up the chance to take them both out. His plan was falling apart in front of him, and she knew there would be consequences.

"Large room up ahead," Jet murmured, interrupting her thoughts. "It'll be hard to clear."

Kadira slid her rangefinder into place, hoping to find cover to use. She sighed as she saw the room was entirely empty. "…I say run for it. If you hear a click or anything that sounds like it could blow us up, then you keep running and let my armor take the brunt of it."

"I don't like this," Jett said, craning his head to look over his shoulder at her. Kadira caught the motion in her wraparound view and sighed.

"I appreciate the chivalry, really. But we can either let my armor take an impact it can handle, or let you blow yourself up in order to prove you're a gentleman. Which would you prefer?"

Jett hesitated and sighed. "Fine. But I'm making it up to you."

"Hold the door for me when we get out of here and we'll call it even."

Kadira didn't wait to hear his response, instead signaling for them to begin moving through the room. She switched off the beam on her helmet before they entered, leaving them both to rely on their helmets' night vision modes. It was certainly better than presenting themselves as clear targets for Spike's amusement. Kadira had her rangefinder in place as well, using it to be sure there were no surprises hidden in the darkness. They moved in sync, careful to be as silent as possible as they made their way across the dark expanse. Kadira could hear Jett's breathing in the shared comm channel they had rigged, could read his tenseness just as well as if it were Laniff guarding her back. She knew Jett was able to read the same in her – it was one of the many traits clones shared with Mandos, a side effect of spending your life learning to read people fully encased in armor. You saw and heard the small things, instead of relying on facial expressions.

A sudden flash of motion in her HUD caused Kadira to spin, rifle aimed at a figure concealed by the darkness. Even her night vision was having a hard time distinguishing the armored man from the shadows of the room. Kadira heard Jett shout a warning and open fire. The blaster bolts struck the figure head on, sending sparks flying, but the man simply stumbled backwards and tossed something that clattered to a stop at Kadira's feet.

"Oh _shab_, Jett ceasefire!" Kadira shouted, recognizing the figure's striped Mandalorian helmet as belonging to Vhetin. "Cease-"

The canister at her feet exploded in a flash of light and sound that her HUD was unable to completely drown out, sending Kadira stumbling backwards in surprise. She saw Jett fall to his knees, his stormtrooper's helmet obviously not anywhere near as efficient as her own systems in blocking out the noise. Someone pulled her pistol from its holster, and Kadira spun to find herself looking into the face of Jay, Vhetin's partner.

"Just didn't want you to start shooting if you didn't recognize us," Jay explained with a smile. "Glad we caught up to you before they moved you again. Though I'm surprised they let you keep the pistol."

"Moved me?" Kadira asked, not comprehending for a moment. She glanced from Jay to Jett and suddenly understood. "Fierfek, you don't know. Wait, stop, Vhetin!" Kadira ordered, spinning back to face Vhetin as he made his way to Jett, taking his rifle and pistol and tossing them aside. "Vhetin, don't shoot him. Jett, just hold still and don't do anything stupid."

"This is the trooper who kidnapped you?" Jay asked, nodding to Jett.

"No. Well, yes, but not anymore. He's on our side now. I think," Kadira placed one hand to the side of her helmet with a sigh of frustration. This was complicated enough without the headache she was getting from the flashbang Vhetin had thrown. Which made sense now, if they thought she was a prisoner again and Jett was moving her.

Any response Vhetin might have made was cut short as the lights suddenly sprang back to life, causing Kadira's HUD to flicker for a moment as it adjusted.

"Blast… Spike has the power back up."

* * *

"Let me guess. They were gone when you got there," the stranger remarked as Laniff and Iam returned.

Iam merely grunted in response, moving to check on Ran. The young man was unconscious and pale, but the wound had been patched up. He was no longer bleeding heavily, though a good bacta treatment would go a long way. Ran wasn't out of the woods yet.

"You said you could get him help," Iam said, not turning.

"You and your bucket head friend carry him. I'll take you to the base and we'll sort this out. Be careful with him, the last thing we need is for the bleeding to get worse."

Iam gritted his teeth and didn't respond, knowing Kadira would have elbowed him into silence if she had been present. Instead, he helped Laniff lift Ran's unconscious form, feeling relief as he saw Caida watching their apparent rescuer warily, one hand on the butt of her blaster. A cautious girl, something he was grateful for at the moment. If the _aruetii_ stranger tried anything, she'd get quite a surprise.

"I really don't like this woman," Laniff muttered into the comlink, causing Iam to smile wryly in response.

The group made its way to a small bunker at the foot of the mountains with no further incident. Iam could only be grateful that their guide was silent the rest of the way. He wasn't sure how many more acidic comments he could take. A small group of medics rushed to them when they entered the bunker, taking Ran from Laniff and Iam without comment. Caida followed on their heels without being asked, easily ignoring their protests.

"I want to speak with your leader. I need to know what in the galaxy we've stumbled into," Iam said, tilting his helmeted head at their guide. He could remove the helmet, but he wasn't in the mood to set these people at ease. Not when he knew nothing about them or their motives.

The guide removed her hood, revealing a woman who was probably in her late forties. Iam noted the deep tan that spoke of time in the sun, as well as the fine lines around her eyes that hinted at plenty of time spent laughing. But there was no humor present now as she crossed her arms and leaned back against a nearby table. Iam felt his own eyes narrow, sensing a coming fight.

"You're speaking to the leader," the woman replied, her chin lifting as she waited for Iam's reaction.

He knew his temper was frayed from everything that had happened. His daughter had been kidnapped, someone under his charge had been shot, the attackers had disappeared, and now this infuriating woman had just informed him that she was in charge of this whole operation. Only Laniff's restraining hand kept Iam from saying something he might regret.

"Can you tell us what's happening?" Laniff asked as Iam placed one hand to the side of his helmet, struggling to regain his temper. None of this was her fault. Except her attitude, of course. That was definitely her fault.

"Is your friend going to be alright, or is his head going to explode?" the woman asked instead, nodding at Iam. Iam gritted his teeth, not deigning to answer. "I have my own questions. What are you doing here? And how did you get past our sensors? We have some of the best equipment money can buy, and yet we had no idea you were here. Don't argue, Mando. You're on my planet, in the middle of my smugglers. I suggest you cooperate."

Iam sighed and stepped forward. "Fine. We'll explain, and then it's your turn. Who knows, maybe you'll have the information we need."

"If you can keep from strangling each other long enough to listen," Laniff muttered into the comm.

* * *

"Someone else to worry about?" Jay asked, looking around the room warily.

Kadira nodded. "The one who started all this. Jett was just a pawn, Spike is _much_ more dangerous."

Vhetin hauled Jett to his feet, pushing the clone in front of him and motioning for Jay to cover him. The woman nodded and handed back Kadira's pistol, moving to guide the still disoriented Jett. Vhetin tilted his head at Kadira, obviously curious about the change in the situation. "We'll sort this out when we're out of here, _vod_."

Kadira nodded, glancing between Jett and the door leading back to the warehouse, suddenly uncertain. She could take Spike on, one-on-one, Mando style. No one else would have to get dragged into this… Vhetin could take Jett back to Mandalore, bring him to Iam and give the clone a new life, without the fear of Spike finding them again. All it would take was for Kadira to stay, to take on Spike and make sure he didn't come after them ever again.

"Whatever it is, Sal, leave it for another time," Vhetin said softly, apparently sensing her indecision. "Your _vod_ need you elsewhere. _Ba'slan shev'la. _Disappear and regroup stronger."

Kadira ground her teeth for a moment before sighing and turning towards the other Mandalorian, nodding and following him out of the warehouse. Vhetin was right that her family needed her now. Spike would have to wait.

* * *

_A/N: Vhetin and Jay appear courtesy of Vhetin1138 here on FanFiction._

_Again, thank you all for staying patient with me this long. As usual, I will beg for reviews and say they make my day ;)_


	10. Chapter 9

"So this is Mandalore…" Jett observed, looking around him with wonder. Kadira glanced back with a small smile, conscious of how different his reaction was compared to Ran's. For some reason she wanted him to like it, wanted him to find a place here.

"It's rough, but it's home," Kadira confirmed, removing her helmet and clipping it to her belt. She took a deep breath of fresh air, though it did little to relieve her worry. Vhetin and Jay had already filled them in on what Iam and Laniff were planning, and Kadira was anxious to join her _vod_. She was beginning to understand why Jett had felt he needed to go to such lengths to rescue his own brothers.

Kadira was jarred out of her thoughts as an armored shoulder jostled hers, the offender raising one hand in apology before moving on. Keldabe was always busy on market day, which explained the crowds. Jett had changed into civilian clothing, inciting little interest as Mandalorians were fairly used to seeing clones in Keldabe by now. Kadira herself was just another Mando, occasionally greeting old friends, but never stopping for long. She was here for supplies and to find a ship, Laniff's if she could manage to get a hold of it. Any socializing would have to wait.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Jett asked finally, apparently noticing the way Kadira was searching for something in particular.

"Armor for you," Kadira replied. "You probably don't want _beskar'gam_, not without having the chance to get used to the weight."

"I've worn heavy armor," Jett protested, sounding slightly offended.

"Not in some time," Kadira pointed out calmly, unperturbed by his obvious annoyance. She made her way over to a small vendor, nodding in greeting.

"Armor's held up well," the young woman manning the stall observed. "What can I do for you? Doesn't look like you need anything replaced, unless it's something for your bucket." She nodded to Kadira's helmet, eyebrows raised questioningly.

"Nothing for me, Em. My friend here needs a sturdy set of armor, but doesn't have the time or the training to wait for _beskar'gam_. Have anything that'll work?"

Em stepped back and studied Jett closely, brow furrowed. Jett stood completely still, to his credit, apparently used to equipment inspections.

"I may have something for you..." the young woman murmured, digging through some of the piles behind her stall. Finally, she pulled out a heavy set of armor, painted blue and black, stacking it on the table for Jett to inspect. "Its heavy grade, so it'll keep some _dik'ut_ from shooting you with a holdout blaster, but it doesn't have the resistance _beskar_ would. So don't going following _Kad'ika_ into open fire wearing this stuff. She'll come out with bruises, but you'll wind up with a few holes in you. There's a helmet here somewhere… Ah, here it is."

The helmet she pulled out lacked the classic T-Visor that marked it as Mandalorian, Em being astute enough to realize Jett was not one of the _vod_. Instead, it was fitted with only a small visor strip at eye level.

"It has a pretty advanced HUD, so it'll keep you out of most trouble. Just be careful – someone hits you right in the visor and you've got problems."

"So keep my head down and don't follow Kadira's lead. I can handle that," Jett said wryly, lifting the armor plates to inspect them.

"How much do I owe you, Em?" Kadira asked.

"Nothing. Don't you dare argue, _vod'ika_. You and your _buir_ got me out of a sight of trouble with the Imps. It's high time I paid you back for it. I'll charge you double next time you need something repaired, how's that?"

Kadira smiled slightly, nodding. There was no use arguing about it, not with Em.

"Go get that new armor on, Jett. I'll meet you back at the spaceport."

* * *

Jett walked into the hangar to find Kadira with her arms crossed over her chest, arguing with a man who towered over her. He was dressed in full armor with a blue stripe down the silver plates, and was leaning over as if to intimidate the young woman before him.

Jett frowned and moved closer, concerned.

"Either let me on Laniff's ship, _di'kut_, or I'll make you look like an even bigger idiot by stealing it out from under you," Kadira threatened, obviously unimpressed by the man's superior height. Jett was surprised to see Kadira had her helmet off and clipped to her side, revealing her scar and making her ruined voice all the more obvious.

"I can't just let you on the ship, _Kad'ika_, not when Laniff specifically asked me to keep an eye on it."

Jett's brow furrowed even further as he caught humor in the other man's voice.

"You let him on _my_ ship, _chakaar_," Kadira pointed out, a smile pulling at her own mouth. "Now are you going to move, or do I have to embarrass you again?"

"The Stunball match doesn't count as an embarrassment. You had Iam on your side," the other Mando protested.

"And you had your _buir_. Now get out of the way."

The man hesitated then sighed, stepping aside and making a sweeping gesture with one arm. "Be my guest. It's not worth arguing over anyway."

Kadira grinned and surprised Jett by giving the other Mando a hug, earning an awkward pat on the shoulder in response. The man muttered something under his breath and moved off, leaving Jett to stare at Kadira questioningly, completely lost.

"Old friend," Kadira explained. "He's part of Laniff's clan, the two are like brothers."

"Which means you two are like siblings too," Jett said, nodding. "He won't really be in trouble for letting you take the _Revenge_, will he?"

"Doubtful," Kadira replied with a shrug. "If Laniff gets annoyed, I'll just point out that it was my only option since he took the _Vanguard_. Now let's get moving before we waste any more time."

* * *

Kadira grimaced as she looked through the viewport of the _Revenge_ at the planet below. Jett was noticeably silent, his expression carefully blank when she glanced at him. The planet looked rough, even from a distance. The _Revenge's_ readings were no more encouraging than the view, recording sharp changes in temperature without any sense of warning.

"This won't be fun, will it?" Kadira asked finally, earning a chuckle from Jett.

"No… but it needs to be done," he murmured, earning a concerned frown from Kadira that he failed to notice. He seemed lost in some memory, only jerking out of it when she touched his arm gently.

"Go get your armor on, Jett. I'll set us down somewhere in the snow regions. If I know Iam, that's where he would have put the _Vanguard_," seeing the question on his face, Kadira smiled. "Did you really think I was going to start off without any fun toys? Besides, thanks to you and Spike my other pistol is missing."

"Laniff doesn't have enough weapons for you on board this bucket of bolts?" Jett asked wryly.

"His are all things that explode and make a lot of noise," Kadira retorted, crossing her arms wryly. "I'd rather the whole planet didn't know we were here just because Laniff has no idea what subtlety is."

"Because an illegal DC-17 is so subtle," Jett pointed out, glancing meaningfully to Kadira's rifle. She simply grinned and settled her helmet into place, turning back to the controls to take them in for a landing.

"And Jett? You might wanna grab onto something when you're done with the armor, it might get a little bumpy."

She heard him mutter something under his breath, but decided it would be best not to ask what it was. Not when they were actually getting along for once.

* * *

They had been trudging through the icy landscape for hours when Kadira suddenly stopped and knelt in the snow, obviously distracted from the conversation she and Jett had been having. Jett trailed off, waiting to see what was bothering her. She'd been growing more and more anxious as time passed. She had started out fairly lighthearted, worried but still teasing him whenever the chance arose. But now she had fallen mostly silent, dropping out of the conversation entirely at times and looking around at the landscape as if waiting for something bad to happen. He had a feeling she was seeing something he was missing, something that was big enough to shake her composure.

"Notice anything?" she asked, craning her neck to look up at him. Jett couldn't see her expression through the T-visor of her helmet, but he had no doubt it was expectant, waiting for him to come up with the right answer.

Jett consulted the information in his HUD, wincing as he noticed what she was no doubt referring to. In truth, he should have noticed it immediately. His skills were getting rusty, and that was dangerous here.

"Our comms are down," he answered, taking a few steps back. He stopped when the signal returned, frowning. "So someone's using a jamming device."

Kadira rose to her feet, flipping the rangefinder on her helmet into place over the right side of her visor. She turned slowly, shaking her head when she had completed a full circle.

"My scanner isn't picking up any signals, but you're definitely right. I can't access Laniff's ship any more, but I still have a link up to the holonet. It's only communications that are being jammed, not data or any of my other systems."

"So we're not up against an Imperial army," Jett muttered, returning to Kadira's side. She ignored the comment, tilting her head and scanning the snowscape.

"I don't like this," she murmured. "Reminds me of too many bounties gone wrong…" she shook herself, starting off again without saying anything more. Jett watched her for a few seconds. Not for the first time he was regretting bringing Kadira and her team into this mess at all. He sighed and trudged after her, following some trail only she could see.

Jett was the one to discover the battleground. He topped a rise before Kadira, as she had stopped to use her scanners once more in hopes of finding whatever was jamming their comms and forcing them to keep in sight of one another.

"_Kad'ika_, I think you'll want to see this," he said softly, turning back to her.

She didn't hesitate, but cleared the hill in three long strides, stiffening as she took in the scattered snow and scorch marks on the few rocks that weren't covered with the white powder.

"Come on, we're on the right track," she said finally, her voice grim as she trudged forward to inspect the tracks left by the two fighting parties. She knelt next to a larger imprint in the snow, gesturing to the way the snow had been disturbed. "Sniper?" she asked, looking up at Jett with her head tilted to the side questioningly.

Jett knelt next to her, tracing the outline with one gloved hand, noticing the indent in the snow from a tripod that would attach to the rifle in order to keep it steadier than a human hand could.

"That would be my guess," he murmured, blinking twice to bring up a scanning system in his HUD. He muttered something darkly when his armor's specs came up instead, reminding him that he had yet to completely familiarize himself with the layout of this particular system. He managed to bring up the right program on his second try, analyzing the depth and spacing of the marks from the tripod.

He let out a low whistle at the information before him, surprised in spite of himself. These people had moved up in the galaxy since he'd last been here…

"Are you going to explain that whistle, or keep me in the dark?" Kadira asked finally, tilting her head to the side curiously.

"This is some pretty heavy equipment here. The tripod used fits onto an X-45 sniper rifle, a pretty serious piece of equipment," Jett explained.

"A pretty fragile piece of equipment," Kadira muttered, apparently not as impressed as Jett was.

"The bolt from an X-45 is more lethal even than your beloved deecee, _Kad'ika_," he pointed out absently, continuing to scan for more information.

"But if it gets bumped around a bit more than my DC-17, then it won't function," Kadira replied, rising to her feet and beginning to examine different marking in the snow, leaving Jett to find out what he could. Only a few seconds had passed when she returned. "They were definitely here," she said, gesturing to two paths in the snow that Jett had previously overlooked. "Those are Laniff and Iam's tracks."

"You sure?" Jett asked, rising to his feet.

"Positive. Iam has a slight limp, which shows up in the tracks. And the armor that covers Laniff's boot has a small chip in it, which left an indent in the snow. It was them."

Jett nodded. "Then let's track them. I'd rather find them before night falls, who knows what nasty crits this planet has."

Kadira looked at him, the expressionless visor of her helmet making him want to fidget.

"Who knows…" she agreed finally, her tone hinting that she thought he just might.

* * *

Iam's helmeted head was cradled in his hands, leaving Laniff to try his hardest to deal with the smuggling leader before them. So far, the conversation was going far from well. Already, the woman had decided they must be spies for either the Empire or some other foreign power, possibly even from Black Sun itself. Laniff had finally told Iam over comlink to shut up because the man was only making things worse. Iam had seemed more than happy to comply.

"Look. We are not Imperial. We are not Black Sun. We are _Mandalorian_, and we're here-"

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that you're here on the orders of a clone who sent you here to rescue a squad that went missing over fifteen years ago?" the woman snapped, cutting Laniff short.

Laniff heard the faint sound of grinding teeth come over his comm, informing him of Iam's barely contained irritation. The conversation hadn't started well, and had only deteriorated. The woman seemed much more defensive than she should have been, leaving both Mandalorians to suspect she was hiding something. On top of everything, they had yet to hear word of Ran, leaving them even more concerned.

"I'm trying to tell you that-" this time Laniff was cut short by the sound of shouting and a scuffle outside the door, causing both him and Iam to spring to their feet, pistols drawn and ready.

"What the fierfek is it now?" the woman snarled, stalking out of the room only to backpedal a second later, followed by a Mandalorian in green and gold armor.

"Your people should really be more polite when greeting visitors," Kadira said, removing her helmet with her free hand and giving Laniff and Iam a quick wink. Laniff had no doubt that the shock showed on both their faces, and that she was fully enjoying making an entrance. "Pulling a vibrosword without even a 'hello' is pretty rude, even by Mando standards. Oh and you might want to guard the south entrance a touch better. Iam, Laniff, Jett is going to come through that door in a few minutes. Please be so kind as to avoid shooting him."

To his surprise, he found himself nodding, Iam mirroring the gesture, both of them too startled to ask questions. Laniff felt a smile start to pull at his mouth. The conversation had certainly taken a turn for the better.

* * *

Jett walked into the room minutes later to find Kadira lounging against the wall, Jett and Iam both stiffly ignoring him as the three spoke to an older woman in the center of the room who looked more than a little irritated.

"Sal… and you say you're a smuggler?" the woman asked, snorting contemptuously as Kadira nodded. "I've never even heard of you."

Kadira just grinned, giving the woman an exaggerated bow. "Then that means I do my job well," she replied impishly, seeming to enjoy the way the other woman's jaw clenched in irritation.

The older woman was about to issue a retort when she caught sight of Jett's face. She froze for a moment, studying him before she let out a slow breath.

"…Well now everything makes sense," she murmured, sitting down as if in shock, her eyes never leaving his face. "…Welcome back, RC-7211."

* * *

_A/N: o.o I am so so sorry for the delay… School honestly sucked my life away and left me with virtually no time for writing… Add to that a writer's block and we end up with me not posting for almost 3 weeks . It's almost bad enough for me to not beg for reviews… almost ;)_


	11. Chapter 10

"What do you mean there's a time gap?" Kadira questioned as Laniff and Iam both paced in the small set of rooms the three had been given. They were currently in the common area, waiting for Jett to return. Shortly after his strange greeting at the hands of Sidra - the smuggling ring's leader- the three Mandalorians had been politely yet firmly banished to their own chambers. "There can't be a fifteen year gap, not with Jett's apparent age… Can there?"

Laniff sighed and sat down, looking at Kadira with raised eyebrows. "Everything Ran dug up had the same trend. And with Jett's serial number we just heard, everything fits together even better."

Kadira sighed and leaned her head back against the drab stone wall, closing her eyes. "How is Ran?" she asked quietly, her brow furrowing in worry. Laniff and Iam had filled her in on everything that had happened before she had arrived, including the battle in the snow and Ran's injury.

"Whining, but that seems to be normal," a familiar voice came from the doorway. "The healers say he'll live, though they're threatening to drug him if he doesn't shut up."

Kadira grinned and opened her eyes to see her former partner standing in the doorway with arms crossed and eyebrows lowered in a frown. But the woman's mouth was twitching in an attempt to hold back a smile, an attempt Kadira knew would ultimately fail. Kadira got to her feet and crossed the room in three long strides, the two women embracing with the clack of armored plates striking each other.

"I see they've convinced you to wear armor," Kadira observed, standing back and inspecting the light armor Caida wore. "It's about time."

Caida snorted, her eyes twinkling with laughter. "Ran yelled at me and told me to wear armor or he'd make me. So the healers said I'd better do it before Ran hurt himself further."

Kadira smiled. "Glad to hear he's making a nuisance of himself, as usual. He must not be feeling _too_ terrible."

"They're good healers. They know their craft," Caida assured her, suddenly serious. Kadira offered a faint smile of thanks, glad Caida could still read her worry so well after so many years. Even if she was trying to hide it. "Now where's the idiot who kidnapped you?"

Kadira sighed and ran one hand through her hair, gesturing to one of the chairs. "You'd better sit down. I've got some things to explain."

* * *

"Sit down, Jett," Sidra instructed, waving her hand dismissively when he started to salute. "There's no need for formality here. Not anymore."

Jett hesitated then took a seat a few feet away from the smuggling leader, wondering at the tightness of her expression. Something was wrong, and every single instinct he had screamed at him to find out what. He fought the urge to jump up, to search the entire compound for his _vod_. He needed them, needed to be back in his squad again. He didn't want to sit down, or talk about the past. He just wanted to find his brothers.

"Where are they, ma'am?" he asked, not quite able to keep the strain out of his voice. He knew he was still using a title, but he couldn't make himself use her given name. It made him feel like he was no longer a soldier. Made him feel like his brothers weren't coming back.

Sidra sighed and laced her fingers together, tapping them against her chin speculatively. He felt his dread rise when she was unable to meet his gaze. Even with the worst news, she had always looked them directly in the eye. When the pirates mobilized, when Cap had been injured, when the Jedi purge had happened… always she'd looked them in the eye. Always.

"They're gone, Jett."

Jett was silent a moment, confusion causing him to shake his head. "Gone… gone where? They were supposed to be here. The ships smuggling them got here, I checked. Did they keep going? Did you send them to another planet, with another mission? I-"

He stopped when her hand covered his. He hadn't realized how fast the words had come pouring out of his mouth, or the way he had begun shaking violently.

"Jett… They didn't make it in time. Cap and the others held the line as long as they could, but there were too many... I lost half my smugglers, and I would have lost more if it wasn't for your squad. They died as heroes, though the Empire said otherwise."

Jet stared at her hand covering his until the tears in his eyes turned everything to a blur. "…They were right behind me," he protested hoarsely. "Cap was next…"

He heard Sidra sigh, the sound holding the same grief he could feel burning in his chest, though hers was dulled by time and the healing only that could bring.

"They had the chance to follow you, Jett. But troops were landing, and people were dying. They chose to fight as long as they could… Cap said at least they would die fighting, as brothers, and that at least you would get out. He said someone from the squad should make it."

Jett lurched to his feet and fumbled for the door's control panel. Sidra didn't follow him as he stumbled out into the hall, ignoring those around him as he fought to escape the knowledge that now burned in his chest. He was the last one left.

His _vod_ were gone, and he was alone.

* * *

Laniff looked up as the door slid open, admitting a grim faced Sidra. The woman looked drained, her expression drawn in a way it had not been before. The room fell silent, the conversation tapering off as they all took in the woman's expression and the way she searched their faces, almost desperately.

"What's happened?" Kadira finally asked softly, the only one with the courage to break the sudden and terrible stillness. Even Caida had fallen quiet, glancing between the faces of everyone present as if searching for a clue.

"…Jett's just found out that his squad was killed fifteen years ago. I was hoping to break it to him more gently, but…" she sighed. "Now he won't speak to anyone. No one can even get a reaction out of him. It's like trying to speak to a duracrete wall. He's been like that for the past half hour. But now we can't even find him."

"What do you mean you can't find him?" Caida asked sharply. "It's your firefekking compound, and it's not that big. Where could he go?"

"He's trained as a _commando_. They go where they want, and if they don't want to be found, then good luck finding them. Even if it is in a small compound," Sidra explained tiredly.

Kadira got to her feet, but Iam surprised Laniff by holding out a hand to stop her, rising slowly to his feet with a grim expression.

"I'll find him, _ad'ika_," Iam said softly, shaking his head. "He was raised with brothers, and it's one of those he needs right now."

Kadira studied her father's face for a moment before nodding once and returning to her seat. Her own face was grim, and Laniff could read her worry there. Laniff watched as Iam exited the room, Sidra following close behind and leaving Kadira, Laniff, and Caida to sit in grim silence.

* * *

"I need to know everything," Iam said, glancing down at Sidra with both eyebrows raised. "I can't help him if I don't know what happened to his squad."

The two were back in the room where she had apparently told Jett about his squad's fate. Sidra was sitting in one of the chairs, rubbing her face with one hand while Iam paced. Strangely enough, the earlier hostility between them seemed to have disappeared in the face of trying to find and help Jett.

"They were sent here at my request about fifteen years ago, give or take a year or so. Even then we were having problems with the pirates you and your crew ran into on your way here. At the time, we weren't nearly as well equipped as they were. I made a deal with the then-Chancellor Palpatine. If he provided a squad of troopers to put down the pirates, we'd take the more dangerous smuggling routes for the GAR. We'd smuggle men in and out, supplies, medical aid, you name it. No one else wanted to do it, not in the numbers we were offering. So Palpatine agreed and Jett and his squad were assigned here."

"What happened?" Iam prodded when Sidra fell silent.

"They came with a Jedi. We weren't expecting it, but we adapted. Things went well for a while. The pirates were pushed back, and we were starting to think we might actually win this fight… That's when the order for the purge was given…" Sidra sighed and leaned back. "You have to understand, the squad was close to their Jedi. Cap tried to kill him, but… In the end, he couldn't. The Jedi escaped, and when the squad was given the order to wipe out my smugglers, they refused… After that, everything fell apart. The plan was to smuggle the squad offworld, get them somewhere safe while we all scattered across the galaxy."

"_Ba'slan shev'la_," Iam murmured.

"What?"

"It's a Mandalorian tactic," Iam explained, waving one hand dismissively. "It means strategic disappearance. To fade and then regroup stronger."

Sidra nodded. "Exactly. But the newly formed Empire moved faster than we expected. They supplied the pirates with weapons and brought their own troops as well. Jett's squad didn't make it offworld. They had a chance, but they chose to stay and keep my people alive. They said it was their duty."

Iam sighed and ran one hand through his hair. "How did Jett get out? I would think he would have insisted on staying with his brothers."

Sidra winced. "To smuggle them out, we planned to put them all in carbonite, and thaw them later on, when the danger passed. We figured by that time, there might be a cure for their aging as well... Jett was the first to be frozen in the carbonite. The last he knew, his squad was following him and everything was going as planned. It was only afterwards that we found out otherwise. By that time, Jett was already loaded onboard a ship. Cap told me to make sure Jett got out, and I did… I don't know who thawed him out or set him on this wild chase for his squad, but if I ever find out…"

Iam nodded grimly in agreement, earning a surprised look from Sidra.

"He may have kidnapped _Kad'ika_, and I have yet to forgive him for that. But clones were treated badly enough in the war. Doing this to him is just another step too far," Iam explained. "They've got Mando blood, which makes them _vod_ as far as I'm concerned."

* * *

Iam found Jett in one of the many abandoned rooms in the compound, sitting silent and alone. Iam grabbed a chair and pulled it over, settling down across from the younger man and resting his elbows on his knees, waiting patiently for a reaction. Jett didn't even glance at him, instead continuing to look past Iam's shoulder as if he saw something Iam couldn't. Iam glanced around the empty room, taking in the two sets of stacked beds, barrack style, and the weapons rack placed against one wall. It was small and dim, nothing special to look at, but Iam had a feeling he knew why Jett had come here, of all places.

Jett shifted slightly, his body turning away from Iam ever so slightly. Iam let out a slow breath, grateful for even that small movement. Time spent with Skirata's boys had taught Iam to look for the smallest signs of body language in order to gauge what one of the clones was thinking. It was a reaction, no matter how small, and that alone gave Iam some confidence.

"This was the room you and your squad stayed in, wasn't it?" Iam ventured quietly. Jett was silent, but Iam saw the tears that built up in the young man's eyes, saw the way Jett blinked faster, trying to clear them away before they fell. Jett turned his head a fraction, casting his expression further into shadow as he struggled to keep the tears from falling.

"There's no shame in tears, _Jet'ika_," Iam's words were gentle. "They honor those who are no longer with us."

"…They should have been right behind me," Jett whispered finally, his accented voice thick with pain. "They should have kept walking, not gone back. They would be alive."

Iam let out a slow breath, shaking his head. "You can't know that, Jett. None of us can know what might have been. If they hadn't stayed and fought, then the Empire's forces would no doubt have overwhelmed the smugglers. And if that had happened, who knows what would have happened to you and your _vod_."

"Then I should have stayed," Jett argued, shaking his head. "I should have stayed with my brothers and fought with them." He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees and his head hung low in pain and grief.

Iam clasped the young man's shoulder, desperate to reach through the emotions Jett was no doubt drowning in. "They made the choice that they believed to be best at the time. Do not dishonor them by blaming yourself for it. Your squadmates wouldn't want you to drown in your grief for them, Jett. "

Jett gave him no reaction, and Iam felt his heart sink at the clone's stillness. Finally, Jett reached up and clasped the hand Iam still had on Jett's shoulder, the young man's hand shaking slightly. When he looked up, he met Iam's gaze. There was grief in the clone's expression, as well a struggle to accept Iam's words. But there was also strength that hadn't been there before.

"…I need to finish what they started," he said finally, his voice soft. "I need to stop the pirates, and then I need to take on the Empire that killed my _vod_. It's all I have left right now."

Iam nodded, squeezing Jett's shoulder firmly. "And we'll help you."

* * *

"Kadira, don't do anything stupid up there," Ran admonished, wincing as he tried to push himself into a sitting position.

"I won't, I promise. Now quit moving and quit worrying," Kadira admonished, tying her hair back. She had come to check on Ran before heading out on the mission Jett was leading – a mission that would take out the pirates' base and destroy their foothold on the smugglers' planet. She would be flying the _Vanguard_ to take out the air defenses the pirates would no doubt deploy, while Laniff and Iam helped lead a ground assault to take out the base. It was a simple plan, but a good one.

"I'm not worrying," Ran replied, frowning. "Just don't get yourself killed up there. Good pilots are hard to find."

"Right. Thanks for the pep talk," Kadira replied wryly. "Now would you stop moving? You'll get me banished from the med ward if they think I'm agitating you."

Ran muttered something darkly and Kadira rolled her eyes in response, settling her helmet over her head. She exited the ward with a nod to one of the healers, heading to the hangar. She caught sight of Jett in the hall and slowed, receiving a quiet nod in greeting as the clone fell into step beside her, his own helmet cradled against his side in the crook of his elbow.

"Don't do anything stupid up there," Jett said finally.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Kadira asked, throwing her hands in the air "Laniff is the reckless pilot, not me. I am a very good pilot, thank you very much."

Jett chuckled. "Just don't let Caida talk you into anything dumb."

Kadira laughed and nodded in agreement. She glanced up as they entered the hangar, taking in the _Vanguard's_ smooth lines. Iam had piloted the ship here only hours before, insisting Kadira fly her own ship rather than one belonging to the smugglers. She would need every gadget she could get. As they reached their respective ships, Kadira turned, clasping Jett's shoulder.

"I'm sorry about your _vod_, Jett."

Jett studied her faceplate for a moment, nodding as if he could read her sincerity through the black visor. She saw the raw pain in his eyes and the grief that lurked there.

"Thank you, _Kad'ika_… Now get going, before Caida decides to take off without you."

Kadira laughed softly and strode onto the _Vanguard_'s ramp, glancing back to see Jett start towards his own ship, his step sure and determined for the first time since she'd met him.

"Jett!" she called, leaning over the edge of the ramp with one hand on the underside of the _Vanguard_ for balance. The clone turned, eyebrows raised curiously. "_Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur_!" she called, waiting for him to translate the phrase.

When he did, he smiled slightly and lifted one hand, "_Oya!"_

Kadira smiled and disappeared inside her ship, noticing Caida's curious expression.

"Translation?"

Kadira settled into the pilot's seat before answering, the _Vanguard_ coming to life as Kadira piloted the ship out of the hangar doors, three squadrons of fighters following close behind.

"I said 'This is a good day for someone else to die'. Jett's response was 'Let's hunt'," she glanced at her former partner, tilting her helmeted head wryly. "It can also mean 'stay alive'."

Caida let out a sharp laugh. "Well I agree with that wholeheartedly."

* * *

_A/N: So to make up for my long delay last time, this chapter is a bit early :) Let me know what you think, please. Reviews mean the world to me, and help me keep writing. Again, thank you so much for reading so far :) The next chapter should be up fairly soon (I hope…)_


	12. Chapter 11

"Please tell me this ship has something fancy to keep us from getting shot out of the air," Caida said, gripping the control panel with one hand to keep from being flung forward.

They had entered the airspace of the pirate's base, and had already come up against heavy resistance from the pirates in the form of both fighters and antiaircraft guns.

"Where did they get equipment like this, anyway? AA guns should be in warzones, not in the middle of some force-forsaken, backwater-"

"Caida," Kadira cut in, glancing over at her former partner using the wraparound view in her HUD. "If you don't mind, could you try to return fire to some of those fighters instead of yelling at them? I don't think insults will keep them off our tail."

Caida muttered grudging agreement, sliding over to take the controls of one of the _Vanguard_'s many turrets. Kadira saw her flinch as the _Vanguard_ bucked slightly, reacting to an especially harsh barrage from the AA guns below.

"Still, you would think a ship as advanced as this would have something to keep us from getting hit," Caida muttered.

"It does. It's called a pilot, and it doesn't help to distract her," Kadira managed, spinning the _Vanguard_ about in an especially violent turn. She was beginning to regret not taking Laniff as her gunner, as at least he could shoot in silence. Kadira had forgotten how Caida tended to shoot and insult with equal vehemence.

_::Come in squad leader, this is blue leader.::_

"Go ahead, blue leader," Kadira answered, activating her helmet's comm with a few blinks.

_::Enjoying yourself,_ ad'ika? _Looks like you're having an interesting time up there,::_ Iam replied, sounding remarkably calm. Kadira grimaced and forced the _Vanguard_ into a steep climb to avoid a particularly ambitious fighter. Caida blasted the ship into dust as a warning to any of the other fighters that might have considered taking the _Vanguard_ on by themselves.

"It would help to have those AA guns out of the picture, _buir_. We're getting hit pretty hard up here, and those fighters are adventure enough. They're getting brave enough to try to take the _Vanguard_ individually, and that level of stupidity makes me nervous. People usually start kamikaze runs next."

_::Working on it. Laniff is deciding which explosives would be best to use.::_

"Tell him to hurry it up, then," Caida shouted.

_::Tsk, tsk, can't rush quality,::_ Laniff's voice came over the comm._ ::_Kad'ika_, try to make a run on the western-most AA. I need a distraction to get the explosives close enough to do any damage.::_

"You want us to fly straight at one of those things?" Caida asked, incredulous.

"Jett, you getting this?" Kadira asked over the comm, ignoring Caida's look of disbelief.

_::Loud and clear. I'll make the run with you, keep those fighters off your back,::_ Jett confirmed, his ship exiting formation as he extracted himself from a dogfight to fall in line with the _Vanguard_.

Kadira jerked the controls upward, sending the _Vanguard_ into a spiral and firing to clear a path. Most of the fighters in the vicinity spun out of the way as quickly as their pilots were able to, none of them quite willing to take on a pilot of Kadira's quality, especially with Jett behind her providing cover. Those that didn't move in time spiraled to the ground in flames, caught in the fire of both the _Vanguard_ and Jett's more maneuverable fighter.

"…We're going to die," Caida said finally, her voice matter-of-fact. "This is a suicide run."

"Oh come on," Kadira admonished. "Don't tell me you honestly wanted to live forever."

* * *

Laniff glanced up at the sky as the _Vanguard_ screeched by, followed closely by Jett's one-man fighter. He grinned and glanced to Iam, who gave him a brisk nod.

"Keep those guns from shooting me out of the snow, _vod_," Laniff spoke into his comm, wincing as Caida responded with a few choice words. "I wasn't actually talking to you, Caida," he said dryly, glancing down to check the explosives once more. "And if you keep using language like that, I'll have _Kad'ika_ patch you out of the comm."

_::Try it, flyboy,:_: Caida replied sharply.

_::Knock it off you two, you're both pretty. Now can we make this run or not?::_ Kadira cut in.

Laniff grunted an affirmative, noticing that Jett was wisely keeping out of the conversation. "On my mark… Three, two, one, and go!"

Laniff sprinted for the AA turrets, seeing Iam doing the same out of the corner of his eye. The _Vanguard_ spiraled overhead, drawing the turret's fire as Jett kept the smaller fighters around from taking advantage of the extra firepower of the AA guns. Laniff flinched as he slid on his knees to the base of one of the turrets, hearing a massive explosion overhead. He glanced up, breathing a sigh of relief that the _Vanguard_ was still intact. Kadira was staying just within range of the turrets, keeping their gunners too busy to notice the two Mandalorians rigging the turrets to blow.

_::Keep it close, Kad'ika,::_ Iam instructed. _::We don't want them noticing us-::_

_::Shab,::_ Kadira interrupted, causing Laniff to glance up. He saw the _Vanguard_ pull up sharply, spinning in a separate direction from Jett's fighter.

"What's going on, _vod_?" Laniff asked, his voice clipped. He continued working on the explosives, using his HUD to continuously check on the _Vanguard_'s status.

:_:More fighters incoming. Lots more,::_ Jett explained when Kadira didn't answer. _::Too many for the smugglers to hold, and I think they've figured out that Kad'ika and I are leading this thing.::_

"Get out of here. You need more room to maneuver," Laniff instructed.

_::And let you become turret fodder? No thanks. We'll make do,::_ Kadira responded. _::Jett, think we can manage a two man assault? We can use the AA fire for cover. They'll have to avoid it just as much as we will.::_

_::Affirmative,::_ Jett responded. :_:It'll take some fancy flying, but I think we can handle it.::_

_::You two get out of here,::_ Iam cut in, his voice strained. _::I doubt these pirates will worry about catching their own in their fire. Even the _Vanguard_ can get taken out by an Antiaircraft turret… Do you hear me? That's an order.::_

_::Sorry _buir_ you're breaking up, I didn't catch that::_ Kadira responded calmly.

"Like _haran_ he is," Laniff snapped, slamming the explosives against the base of the AA turret with more vehemence than was probably needed. "Get out of there, Kad."

_::Not going to happen. Finish up your explosives, you two. The sooner you take out those turrets, the easier our job up here will be.::_

Laniff cursed as the comm went dead.

* * *

"He's going to be so mad when we're out of this," Caida said, glancing over to Kadira's armored form. It was such a foreign sight to her, seeing the T-visored helmet instead of her former partner's face, as well as the scratched green and gold armor.

"He'll yell and fuss, but he'll get over it," Kadira responded cheerfully, tipping her head in Caida's direction. "You ready to take on some extra fighters?"

Caida nodded, turning her attention back to the turret sights. "Tell me what I need to do."

"Point and shoot," Kadira responded. "I'll keep us out of the AA fire, and take out as many ships as I can in the meantime. Your job is to keep them from getting too confident. We have about thirty seconds before they're in range. Jett, don't try to take on their formation head on. Let the _Vanguard_ take the brunt of it, we can stand a lot more than your fighter can."

_::I'll catch any stragglers,::_ Jett's confirmation came over the comm.

"_Oya, vod,_" Kadira said simply, taking the _Vanguard_ higher to get what advantage she could over the fighters coming in.

Caida swallowed hard, hearing Jett's return of the phrase, but not quite able to do it herself. She had always handled life or death situations differently than Kadira, and had always envied her partner's easy recklessness. She adjusted her grip on the controls nervously, licking her lips.

* * *

Kadira glanced at Caida briefly, noticing her friend's nervousness. Caida had her eyes fixed on the sights of the _Vanguard_'s turret, her jaw set with determination. Kadira smiled and looked back to the controls. Caida was at her best when she was like this, though she wasn't much fun to be around.

_::Here we go,::_Jett warned, bringing his ship up and over the top of the _Vanguard_ in order to use the larger ship as a shield from the AA guns.

Kadira had just enough time to take a deep breath before the fighters were upon them. They were in a strict formation, not breaking even as Caida, Kadira, and Jett all opened fire on them. Some of the more unfortunate ships were sent spiraling from the sky, trailing smoke and flames. A few were hit by the AA turrets, allowing Jett and Kadira to take full advantage of their superior height in the sky.

"Keep an eye on those sensors if you can," Kadira instructed Caida, nodding to a set of lights on the _Vanguard_'s control panel. "They're hooked up to my HUD, but I'd like extra warning if a missile heads our way."

Caida nodded confirmation, and Kadira looked back to the fighters. They had made a tight turn and were now headed back for a second sweep.

"Let's show these _aruetii_ something new," she muttered, forcing the _Vanguard_ to head straight at the formation. She could feel the _Vanguard_ respond to her commands instantly, leaving her grateful for the amount of credits that had been poured into the ship. At the moment, every last one was worth it.

Kadira gritted her teeth as the fighters swarmed past her, forced to break formation or risk an impact with the _Vanguard_'s sleek surface. She slammed the controls to the side at the last minute, hearing Caida's curse of surprise as the bottom of the _Vanguard_ sheared off the top of one of the fighters. The resulting explosion jerked the _Vanguard_ up and to the side, forcing the other fighters to scatter further as Caida and Kadira both opened fire at the same moment, using the surprise of Kadira's maneuver to their advantage. Six fighters crashed into the planet surface at nearly the same moment, one of them striking a distant antiaircraft turret and sending up a massive ball of flame and smoke into the air.

_::Please tell me you planned that,::_ Jett's breathless voice came over the comm as the remaining fighters struggled to regroup.

"I planned the first bit," Kadira confirmed. "The second part was dumb luck. Everybody ok?"

"Fine," Caida said, letting out a breath and running one hand through her hair. "Force, I _hate_ flying with you."

_::All clear here,::_ Jett confirmed_. ::Let's finish these guys off this round.::_

"Affirmative," Kadira agreed. "Laniff and Iam should be about done down below, and after that we can end these dogfights and focus on the base once those turrets are out of the way."

* * *

Laniff ducked as one of the turrets exploded, struck by a downed fighter.

"You'd think she could focus on the targets in the sky and leave some for us down here," Laniff complained, sprinting to the next antiaircraft position.

_::She's always been an overachiever,::_ Iam agreed dryly. _::This is my last one. You about finished?::_

"Just as soon as I wire this in… and there we are. Ready for a light show?" Laniff asked, glancing in Iam's direction. The man finished patching his explosives into the last of the antiaircraft turrets, giving Laniff a thumbs-up. The two men sprinted back to the defensive line, ducking behind a snowbank for cover as Laniff looked to Iam for confirmation.

_::Kad'ika, Jett, clear the sky above those turrets, let the fighters take the damage,::_ Iam instructed.

_::Sure thing _buir_,::_ Kadira confirmed, and Laniff watched as the _Vanguard_ lifted up and away from the firefight, leading the fighters in a spiral before peeling away and leaving them to patrol the skies above the antiaircraft guns. Jett's fighter took a moment longer before doing the same, and Laniff slammed his hand down on the detonator.

For a moment, Laniff was blinded by the flash of light that lit up the snowscape as his HUD struggled to adjust to the sudden brightness. As soon as his vision cleared, Iam signaled him and the two stood and made a dash for the pirate's base, which was now wide open with the antiaircraft turrets and other defenses knocked out by the explosion.

The _Vanguard_ passed them overhead, firing at the few remaining defenses the base had, clearing a path for the ground assault. The smugglers' ships held off what was left of the pirates' fighters, keeping them from engaging the troops on the ground or returning to the base to defend it as foot soldiers.

Laniff grinned and pushed himself faster, reveling in the adrenaline rush of knowing victory was close.

* * *

It took less than an hour for the rest of the pirates' base to fall, leaving the smugglers and their new allies to check over their own ships and equipment, as well as bury their dead.

"Any lasting damage to the _Vanguard_?" Laniff asked, coming to peer up the ship's landing ramp curiously.

"Not that I've found," Kadira responded, ducking into view. "I'll have to work on the shields, get them repaired a little bit, but nothing the mechanics at MandalMotors can't handle. And the belly could use some work, after the impact it had with that fighter, but again, nothing major. She's made of stern stuff."

"Good thing, with you for a pilot," Caida muttered, coming down the ramp with an oily rag and an irritated expression.

Kadira simply rolled her eyes and let the woman go, shaking her head wryly. "Has Iam decided when we're heading back to Mandalore?" she asked, coming down the ramp to stand next to Laniff.

"Fairly soon, I'd imagine. He's talking with Sidra now, and Jett is apparently deciding what he's going to do."

"Be nice to him, Laniff. He's dealing with a lot," Kadira said gently.

"He kidnapped you," Laniff pointed out, frowning.

Kadira shrugged and ruffled his hair playfully, having to stand on the tips of her toes to do so. "And you shot me the first time we met, if you recall. If you get a second chance, so does he."

"You drew first, remember," Laniff pointed out, but he was unable to hide his smile. "I'll put up with him. But that's it."

"That's all I'm asking for."

"Iam will give him a hard time, though," Laniff pointed out. "After Jett has had a chance to recover."

Kadira shrugged again. "Jett deserves some rough times, too. Besides, Iam's my _buir_, I can't expect anything else."

Laniff glanced over Kadira's shoulder, eyebrows raised questioningly. Kadira turned, curious to see what had caught her friend's attention. Jett crossed the hangar towards them, looking tired and slightly resigned. When he reached them, he was silent for a moment, glancing between their faces as if trying to read their reaction ahead of time.

"…I'm coming to Mandalore," Jett said finally, running one hand through his dark hair. "I think it's time I go home."

* * *

_A/N: This wraps up Book 4. Thank you all so much for sticking with me through the delays and frustrations, I hope to have the next one up and running smoothly very soon. As always, I would love to hear your thoughts/opinions!_


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